



SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT. 



O- — \ x^ - 2. 3 

AMOURISM 



OR 



PREMAMRITA. 



V BY 



R. S. Taki, B. A., 

Retired I eputy Educational Inspector, Bombay, 

Author of "Purusharthadipika or The 

Supreme Goal of Human Life." 

&c., &c. 



^h 



\ 



teiots 



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All tights reserved^ 



1922. 



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i»rinbed by M. N. Kulkarni, ab fche Karnatak Press, 434 Thakurdwar, 
Bombay & Published by G, P. Murdeshwar B. A., LL. B., 
& S, W. Joshi, Saraswab Buildings, Granb Road, Bombay. 



PUBLISHERS' NOTE. 

The contents of this book had been written out to the 
dictation of the Author in May 1920, but it was not until 
July last that a type- written copy became available to his 
friends. When they read it, they decided to get it printed, 
as they thought it would not only help them in digesting 
easily what they had heard from him from time to time 
but that it would also be very: useful to other people who, 
like Arjuna on the battle- field of Kurukshetra, were dis- 
gusted with the woeful results of the misunderstandings 
between Nations and Nations, Rulers and Ruled, Masters 
and Servants, Kith and Kin and such other dualities they 
witnessed every day around them. For, it would teach 
them how to dedicate disinterested actions to God and 
with the help of a qualified Preceptor how to enjoy living- 
freedom in this very world. 

If we compare the days of Elizabeth, who^, after the 
defeat of the Spanish Armada, exclaimed with a grateful 
heart "God blew and they were scattered" and one of 
whose generals, Sir Philip Sidney, when he lay wounded 
on the field at the Siege of Zutphen, offered his own cup 
of water to a soldier who was suffering more than himself, 
saying ''Thy necessity is greater than mine", with our own, 
we shall find how true are the following words uttered by 
the Premier, Mr. Lloyd George, at Criccieth two years 
ago ! "The need of the land is not Material— it is Spiritual. 
Get the Spiritual, and the Material will follow. The wounds 
of the world are bleeding, and material things will not 
heal them. The one need of England is the healing of the 
Cross." This is a true description not only of the present 
state of England but, more or less, that of the whole world 
including our motherland India {O tempora ! O mores ! \ 
which seems to have forgotten the important lesson taught 
by Shri ShukS-charya to Parikshiti that when the Know- 



11 



ledge of the Impersonal Brahma could not fructify without 
the worship of the Personal God, the poison of action,, 
though thoroughly disinterested, was sure to prove fatal 
unless it was turned into a curative drug by offering it as 
sacrifice to the Almighty Physician. 

The light of Amourism,* which is the essence of alt 
religions and philosophies and which observes no distinc- 
tion of caste, colour or creed, is intended, therefore, to bring 
peace to the minds of individuals as well as nations wander- 
ing in darkness and fill their hearts with brotherly love and: 
concord. For, if they carefully study and faithfully follow 
the path, they will, ere long, realize the worshipper, the 
means or instrument of worship and the object of wor- 
ship — all to be Love and ultimately attain the Supreme 
Goal of Human Life. It is thus the culmination 
of Vedantism, 

Lastly, those who are interested in Pragmatism and 
Bergsonian philosophy will, it is hoped, read with advant- 
age the brief review given of thm in the Introduction. The 
duty or rather privilege of publication having been kindly 
conceded to us, we now offer the boon to the public with 
a sincere hope that it may one day enable those, who 
accept it, to enjoy the Pure Bliss of the Self. In 
accordance with the Author's wishes we have given here 
a photograph of his most revered Father and Spiritual 
Guide to whom the work is dedicated. 
25th May, 1922. 

PUBLISHERS. 

* Amourism is so called because it transcends not only Jivanmukti or 
the enjoyment of living-freedom but also Sayujyata or the total absorption 
of the Self in the Impersonal Brahma. Its final stage is the Ganga-Sagara- 
Sangama Bhakti or the Love of the river to the sea, in which the river of the 
Lover breaking its way through all kinds of obstacles unites always with 
the sea of the Personal God, maintaining at the same time its own in-^ 
(^ ividuality. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE^ 

Introduction {Mangaldcharanam) - . - i 

CHAPTER L 
Amourism {Premdmrita) 34 

CHAPTER 11. 
Trve Faith {Sachchhraddhd) - - - - 67 

CHAPTER III. 
Perfect Resignation (Sc^w^m^a^^O - - - 109 

CHAPTER IV. 
Universal Charity {Sadbhakti) . - . 143 

CHAPTER V. 
Infinite Grace {Sampushti) . - - - lyg 



Index ( Suchi ) 251 





(J/C^aut^^J^uA^ /^^-6</^:2^i«%ll 



/- 



.^*^^.-^- 



Born, 18tli June, 1880. ] [ Departed, 5th June, UM)i>. 



SHRI SADGURU PRASANNA. 

INTRODUCTION. 

(MangalaOharanam.) 



" Learn that by falling prostrate, by questioning and by 
service. The men of knowledge who see the essence of things 
will teach knowledge to you ".—Bhagavad-Qita IV. 34. 



A deep bow to Thee, O Shri Sadguru Shankara ! who 
art by nature nothing but Existence, Consciousness and 
Bliss {Sachchiddnanda svarupah) which are not three se- 
parate entities but, like the whiteness, softness and sweet- 
ness of sugar, are all one, only one, harmoniously united in 
Thee. Hail to Thee, O Holy Preceptor! who art the Creator, 
Preserver andTransformer of things, nay, 
A solemn prayer to who art Thyself the Highest Brahma 
guru. {Gururbrahmd Gururvishnurgururdevo 

Maheshvarah I Guruh sdkshdtparabrahma fasmai Shrigurave 
namah // ) that has chosen to become the Universe which 
manifests the Six Divine Attributes of Power, Law including 
Justice or Samatva and Mercy or Sadayatva, Glory, For- 
tune, Knowledge and Dispassion {Aishvaryasya samagrasyci 



dharmasya yashasah shriyah / Jndnavairdgyayoscheti 
shanndm bhaga iti Smritih //) which are the modifications 
of Thy pure Sattva and from which originate all the 
universal forces and spiritual powers, all Ethics and Poli- 
tics, all sacred hymns and incantations, all wealth and 
grandeur, all science and philosophy and all asceticism 
and self-control, respectively, which we find in this world. 
A thousand salutations to Thee, O Joy of joys !, Imparter 
of Supreme Bliss ! though by nature Impersonal, Know- 
ledge incarnate, beyond the pairs of opposites, vacuum-like, 
the drift of the great sentences ' Thou art That * and others, 
absolute Unity, eternal, pure, immutable Being, witness of 
all the reasons {Buddhi) of Beings, without form and 
qualities. Master of Masters ! {Brahmdnandam parama- 
sukhadant kevalam jndnamurtim dvandvdtitam gagana- 
sadrisham tattvamasyddilakshyam / ekam nityam vtma' 
lamachalam sarvadhi sdkshi bhutam bhdvdtitant trigunara^ 
hitam Sadgurum tarn namdmi jj)^ who assumest the nature 
of the 'wishing tree' [Kalpavriksha), that fulfils all the desires 
of its votaries {Ye yathd Mdm prapadyante tdnstathaiva 
bhajdmyaham. — B, G. IV. ii) whose favour gives the power 
of speech to the dumb and enables the lame to cross over 
mountains {Mukam karoti vdchdlam pangum langhayate 
girim yat kripd) and without hearing whose words no man, 
though he be gifted with the highest intelligence and well- 
versed in all the arts and sciences, can realize the Self 
and secure freedom and eternal bliss {Achdryavdn purusho 
veda), be pleased to bestow Thy Full Divine Grace on 
this Thy humble suppliant and help him to describe briefly 
but clearly in these pages, the path {Ato dharmdni dhdra- 
yan) which leads to Thy Supreme Abode the Anadi Vai- 
^^unih.3. {Vishnor yat paramam padam) — a task which has 
been undertaken at Thy bidding {Ya idam paramam guh- 
yam Madbhakteshvabhidhdsyati / bhaktim Mayi pardm 



krttvd Mdmevaishyatyasanshayah // B. G. XVIII. 68) for 
the guidance of Thy beloved children [Bhaktas) who are 
sorely anxious to come to Thee and who exclaim in a 
piteous strain " I go forward but He is not there ; and 
backward but I cannot perceive Him on the left hand, 
when He doth work but I cannot behold Him. He hideth 
Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him, — Oh 
that I knew where I might find Him that I might come 
even to His Seat."— Job, XXIII. 8 and 9. 

2. Who can describe all the virtues and powers of 
the Holy Preceptor ? No one, because they are as infinite 
as He Himself is. The Vedas attempted to speak of them 
but failed and kept quiet by saying only " Not so, not so " 
{Neti, neti). And yet, all those who may 
The virtues and have been fortunate enough to come in 
celor^ ^ ^ ^^' contact with Him will easily bear testi- 
mony to the fact that a mere glance 
at His radiant face drives away all human cares and 
anxieties, a simple touch of His lotus feet thrills the 
depressed heart with joy and a casual talk of His 
serves as a soothing balm to the wounded soul. His 
magnetism is most powerful. It attracts all. He never 
goes in search of disciples but the disciples flotk 
to Him. " Surely " says Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa 
*' it is not for the magnet to invite pieces of iron to be 
drawn to it. These latter run to the magnet because they 
must/' Therefore, the saint Tukarama gives us the follow- 
ing advice f :— " Lie quietly at the feet of the saints. 
You need not ask or say anything. Mere faith purifies the 

t Padonijan rahifi / ugacha safitacbiye payifi // Nalage 
pusavefi sangavefi / chitta shuddha kari bhaveil // Sahaja te 
sthiti / upadeshapara yukti // Tuka mhane bhava / javali dha- 
runi ani Deva // 



mind. Knowledge follows naturally, for, everything that 
is taught is realized without efforts. Tuka says it is faith 
alone that forces God to come to you.*' What wonder is 
there, then, if the sweet nectar-like words of the great 
sentence {Mahdvdkya) ' Thou art that ' {Tattvamasi) flow- 
ing from His pure Sattvika lips enable the purified mind 
of the true disciple at once to realize the Self {Taydn- 
che shabda manin rutale // Sukhodgdra he Brahmarasdche 
Amrita mhane sdnchale //). For, the Shruti says "The Atman 
dwelling in all beings does not make Himself manifest to 
the eyes or the senses ; they alone see Him whose minds 
have become purified and refined." Swami Vivekananda^ 
therefore, advises thus : — " Cleanse the dust from the 
mirror, purify your own mind, and in a 

Purification of heart, a i i ,i . t-» i .# 

a necessary condi- nash you know that you are Brahman. 

tion for Seif-reaii- Even in the Bible we find that '* Blessed 
are the pure in heart for they shall 
see God.*' Impure or conditioned mind, therefore, cannot 
realize the Self {Shrutvdpyenam veda na chaiva kaschit-^ 
B. G. IL 29). This fact does, of course, in no way preclude 
the necessity of the help of the Sadguru, whose company 
and service enable even an imperfect disciple to wash off 
all the impurities of his mind. Nay, Nanak too, the founder 
ofSikkhism, who 'bases the authority 

Nanak and the ne- ^^^ sOUrce of his faith, nOt in Shrutis 
cessity of a Pre- 
ceptor, and Smritis but in the heart of man, 
its intuitions and longings ' openly 
acknowledges the necessity of a Preceptor for the purpose 
of realizing God in such sentences as the following : — 

'' He can be reached by only those who wait for help 
on the Guru.'' " By the Guru's teaching the light be- 
cometh manifest," "There are no virtues in the man 
who is without a Guru." 



The Preceptor is nothing but God in a human form. 
For, says Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible 

""Zr^J.""" ■! -dn-y F="l>« -= "-'-St- John 
X. 30, and Shri Krishna also mentions 

the same fact in Shri Bhagavata ' All the Preceptors are 

but different forms of Mine ; doubt it not.' The God of 

Gods acknowledges Himself to be the servant of him who 

regards the Preceptor as nothing less than the Universal 

Soul Himself [Guru paramdtmd pareshu / aisd jaydchd vish- 

vdsu I tydchd ankild Mi Hrishiheshu / jo J agadishu jagdcha // 

Ekandthi Bhdgavata). He has reached the highest stage 

which a human being can possibly attain in this life. 



Swami Rama Tirtha 
and the five stages 
of mankind. 



3. Swami Rama Tirtha describes, in his lectures, 
the different stages of mankind thus : — 
" You know all motion in this world is 
in circles ; no motion in a straight line. 
So we have mineral life possessed of a 
motion comparable to spindle-motion. It may be best 
represented in the figure before you by this minutest 
A circle which might be 

called a point. Who 
are those among men 
whose motion is like 
the motiiDn of a top, 
whose circle or orbit 
of movement is 
simply a point, whose 
life is the life of minerals ? Just reflect. Evidently 
these are men all of whose actions are centred around a 
little point, a false self, the little qua- 
Mineral men. rantine of a body, three and a half 
cubits long ! Let the wife and children 
starve, they care not, if only their cravings of the flesh are 




6 



gratified ! Their activity or motion is dead motion. This 
is the mineral life in man. We come now to the state of 
vegetables in the form of man. Their circle is larger, and 
these people are much higher than the mineral man. 
Their activity might be compared to the motion of a race- 
horse. The race-horse describes a larger circle than the 
spindle or top. Their circle is represented in the diagram 
by the second circle of which the centre is B. Who are 
these people ? These are people who turn round their 
wife and children, the domestic circle. They are far 
,, , ^, superior to the selfish mineral men, 

Vegetable men. ^ 

because these people not only advance 
the good of their own body, but they advance also the 
cause of their wife and children. 

Next we come to the third circle. These are animal 
men, animals in the form of men. This third circle repre- 
sented in the figure with the centre C, is larger than the pre- 
. , cedinsf two. It misrht be compared to the 

Ammal men, . , t .1 •. , j 

Circle described by monsoons or trade 
winds. It represents people who have identified their Self 
with something higher than this little body or the domes- 
tic circle. These people identify their Self with their 
class or sect, or their State. They are sectarians, people 
who identify their Self with a caste or craft. They are very 
good, very useful indeed, far more useful than the vege- 
table men. 

We come now to the fourth circle, the circle repre- 
sented in the figure given above with the centre D. Here 
is man in man. Here is a normal man. 
orma men. ^^.^ circle might be compared to the 

circle of the moon. He is a man who identifies his Self 
with the whole nation or the whole race ; you might call 
him the patriot. A very large circle is his. Irrespective 



of denomination, caste, colour or creed, he makes it a point 
to advance the cause of all those who live in the same land 
with him. Very welcome is he ; he is very good ; a man 
he is, but that is all. Washington is all right for Ameri- 
cans, but ask the opinion of Englishmen about him. 

Last of all we come to the fifth circle. Here the centre 
moves up to the Infinity, say : the radius becomes Infinite ; 
and what about the circle ? When the radius moves up 
to the infinity, the circle must become a straight line. All 
^ , the crookedness is g;one. These are God- 

God-men. ,..,.,, , 

men ; their circle might be compared to 
the circle which the Sun is describing. Here is a circle 
of which the centre is everywhere but the circumference 
nowhere. This is the God-circle ; these are free men ; 
these are free — free from all sorrow, free from all fear, free 
from all bodily desires, free from all selfishness. These are 
God-men. These are people to whom the wide world is 
home, irrespective of caste, colour, creed, community or 
country." 

4. The following extracts from " The Soul of India *^ 

and " The Gospel of Shri Rdmakrishna 
^and^he^ Gos"^e?lf ^^^^^^^^^^^ " give further details about 
sLi^RLakristna ^^^ God-man or Perfected human as he 
on God-men. is sometimes called. 

(i) " And we have the nearest approach to Divine 
Rupa in the Rupa of the perfected human. But you will 
find it exceedingly difficult to clearly realise what the 
perfected human form is, without previously understanding 
the Hindu Philosophy of what are called the three gunas. 

These three gunas are the very constituent 

Sattva, Raias and, - r ^^i^ • t^i 

Tamas elements of the universe These 

three qualities are Sattva, Rajas and 

Tamas. Sattva is the quality of illumination and Godness 



8 



It is the true spiritual quality. Rajas is the quality of Desire 
and Activity. Tarn as is the quality of Ignorance and Inertia. 
These are variously present in all. Even the Gods are 
controlled by these three qualities. Sattva, you will 
see, is essentially the highest spiritual quality. Rajas is 
essentially a mental or intellectual quality. Tamas is a 
gross animal quality. An excess of Tamas over both 
Rajas and Sattva, means ignorance and inertia, mere ani- 
malism and verm inosity. An excess of Rajas in the com- 
position of any person means inordinate desire for 
enjoyment and possession, and constant conflicts between 
rivals and competitors for these. An 
Excess of Sattva excess of Sattva in the composition of 

indicates superior . ,. ^ , . , ... ,., 

spirituality ^^^ ^^^ mdicates his superior spirituality. 

Such a person is always self-illumined 
and self-collected, free from all the angry passions that 
characterise the two lower classes, lives in a perpetual 
consciousness of the Spiritual and the Universal. His body 
is perfectly attuned to the highest laws of love and bliss, 
and his whole being is perfectly attuned to the very Being 
of the Supreme. In the highest stage of the development 
of Sattva or the quality of illumination and Godness, the 
man becomes absolutely possessed by his God. His body 
becomes, so to say, the very expression of the pure spiri- 
tual energy of the Divine. Having been purified by the 
psycho-physical cultures of which I have already spoken, 
his body loses all its animalities, and becomes a perfect 
instrument for the expression of Divine energy. His mind 

becomes a perfect receiver and transmit- 

Description of a ^er of Divine Thought, his heart of 

God-man. the Divine Emotions, and his will of the 

Will of God. Thus perfected, the 
human becomes divine, the individual becomes the uni- 



versal. In such a man we see, even with our eyes, 
that which the eye cannot truly see, and realise with 
our intellect what transcends the intellectual. It is 
these men and women whose Rajas and Tamas have 
been absolutely overwhelmed by the excess of the quality 
of Sattva, who give us a glimpse of what we see, in mo- 
ments of the most exalted beatitudes, as human perfection. 
It is this perfected human who slightly reveals what the 
Vaishnava worships as the Rupa or Form of his Lord/' — 
The Soul of India. 

(2) " Ecstatic Love of God is attainable only by a 
few. They are human beings with extraordinary original 
powers and entrusted with a Divine Commission. Being 
Heirs of Divine powers and Glories they form a class of 
their own. To this class belong incarnations of God like 
Chaitanya Deva and their worshippers {Bhaktas) of the 
highest order who are their members. 

Two characteristics t-ux i .«.• r^ir 

» p, , ^ 1 he two characteristics of the Love are 

or uod-men. 

1st the forgetfulness of the external world 
and, 2nd the forgetfulness of one's own body, — so very 
dear to one." — The Gospel of Shri Rdmakrishna. 

5. The indispensable need of such a saviour in 

realizing the Self or God is vividly 

^if SeSretlfzaL'n explained in the following passages taken 

exprLed^rdif^ ^^^^ (i) Hinduism, (2) Zoroastrianism, (3) 

ferent religions. Christianity and (4) Muhammadanism. 

(i) " Quickening influence comes from'outside, and that 
works upon our own potentialities, and then the growth 
begins, spiritual life comes, and man becomes holy and 
perfect in the end. This quickening impulse, which comes 
from outside, cannot be received from books ; the soul 
can only receive impulses from another soul, and from 



10 



nothing else. We may study books all our lives, we may 
become very intellectual, and in the end, we find that we 
. have not developed at all spiritually. It 

does not follow, that a high order of 
intellectual development always shows an equivalent deve- 
lopment of the spiritual side of man ; on the other hand^ 
we find cases almost every day where the intellect has 
become very highly developed at the expense of the spirit. 

Now, in intellectual development we can get much 
help from books but in spiritual development, almost no- 
thing. In studying books, sometimes we are deluded into 
thinking that we are being spiritually helped, but if we 
analyse ourselves, we will find that only our intellect has 
been helped and not the spirit. That is the reason why 
almost every one of us can speak most wonderfully on 
spiritual subjects, but when actions come, we find our- 
selves so woefully deficient. It is because books cannot 
give us that impulse from outside. To quicken the spirit, 
that impulse must come from another soul. That soul 
from which this impulse comes is called the Guru^ 
the teacher, and the soul to which this impulse is con- 
veyed is called the disciple, the student. In order to 
convey this impulse, in the first place, the soul from 
which it comes must possess the power of transmitting it, 
as it were, to another ; and in the second place the object 
to which it is transmitted must be fit to receive it. The 
seed must be a living seed, and the field must be ready 
ploughed ; and when both these conditions are fulfilled, a 
wonderful growth of religion takes place. "The speaker 
of religion must be wonderful, so shall the hearer be " and 
-when both of these are really wonderful, extraordinary, 
then alone will splendid spiritual growth come, and not 
otherwise.'* — Swdmi Vivekdnanda. 



11 



(2) " (Lord) How and at whose hands shall my soul / 

expect succour ? O Worshipful Mazda Ahura, tell me 

Thou, who is the protector (saviour) of my beast (lower 

^ . . Self), besides Thyself, righteousness and 

Zoroastriamsm. . ^ .in^.n . 

purity of mmd ? Who is known to be 
for me?*' — Yasna L. " The indispensable need of a Teacher 
is here discernible " — Light of the Avestd and the Gdthas. 

(3) " How shall they call on Him whom they have not 
believed, and how shall they believe in Him of whom they 
have not heard ? And how shall they hear without a prea- 
cher ? And how shall they preach except they be sent ? As it 

. . is written. How beautiful are the feet of 

them that preach the gospel of peace, and 
bring glad tidings of good things/' — Romans X. 14 and 15. 

(4) "Have we not opened thy breast ? when thou 

.^ ^ , . shalt have finished thy prayer, labour in 

Muhammadanism. ^ r j ^ 

preaching the faith; and make thy sup- 
plication unto thy Lord ''—Al Koran, Chap.XCIV. 

6. To Mr. Kallen's question in 'James and Bergson ' 
to Mr. Metaphysician " How do you know 

Kallens Question ^, ^ ^, u r ^ -i j 

to Metaphysicians. ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^1^ of my toils and my sorrow 
wherethrough I pass side by side with 
friend and foe is mere appearance and this lovely world 
of yours the solely real ? Flow do you know ? *\ the follow- 
ing are the replies of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and 
Archbishop Newman : — 

(i) " It is true enough that the conditioned mind can- 
not realize Him. But He can be realized by the pure 
mind which is the same thing as the Pure Reason, which 
is the same thing as the Pure or Unconditioned Soul 



12 

Fire is latent in all objects. Wood as made by God 
-,^ . ^, has in it this element more than other 

Paramah a n s a's objects. Do you Seek God ? Well, seek 
reply. Him in man ! His Divinity is manifest 

more in man than in any other object. 
Look around for a man with Love of God that over- 
flows — a man who yearns for God — a man intoxicated 
with His Love. In such a man God has incarnated Him- 
self." — The Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. 



(2) "For, is not this the error, the common and fatal 
error, of the world, to think itself a judge of Religious 
Truth without preparation of heart? *I am the good 
shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.* 
' He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him, for 
they know His voice.' ' The pure in heart shall see God.' 
* To the meek mysteries are revealed ; ' ' he that is spiri- 
tual judgeth all things.' ' The darkness comprehendeth it 
not.' ' Gross eyes see not ; heavy ears hear not.' But in 
the schools of the world the ways towards Truth are 
considered high roads open to all men, however disposed, 
at all times. Truth is to be approached without homage. 
Everyone is considered on a level with his neighbour ; 
or rather the powers of Lie intellect, 
Newman's reply. acuteness, sagacity, subtlety, and depth 
are thought the guides into Truth. Men 
consider that they have as full a right to discuss religious 
subjects, as if they were themselves religious. They will 
enter upon the most sacred points of Faith at the moment, 
at their pleasure,— if it so happens, in a careless frame of 
mind in their hours of recreation, over the wine cup. Is it 
wonderful that they so frequently end in becoming in- 
-differentists, and conclude that Religious Truth is but a 



13 

name, that all men are right and all wrong, from witness- 
ing externally the multitude of sects and parties, and from 
the clear consciousness they possess within, that their 
own inquiries end in darkness ? *' — Newman's Sermon on 
^Faith and Reason Contrasted as habits of mind.' 

7. So far about the Preceptor or Sadguru who forms 
the principal factor in all matters relating to spirituality. 
Now, to turn to the subject of our present inquiry, the path 
which leads to God or Eternal Bliss, the Supreme Goal of 
Human Life, we shall first quote the paragraph with which 
Mr. Benn closes his History of Modern Philosophy: — " Since 
the beginning of the twentieth century the interest in 
philosophy and the ability devoted to its cultivation have 
shown no sign of diminution. Two new doctrines in parti- 
cular have become subjects of world-wide discussion. I 
refer to the theory of knowledge called Pragmatism, and 
to the metaphysics of Professor Henri Bergson. Both are 
of so revolutionary, so contentious, and so illusive a cha- 
racter as to preclude any discussion or even outline of the 
new solutions for old problems which they claim to provide. 
But I would recommend the study of 
Quotation from ^^^^^ ^^^ especially of Bergson, to all 

Benn's History of . . .1 , . , -u-Ti.* c 

Modern Pbiloso- ^^^ imagme that the possibilities of spe- 

phy. culation are exhausted, or that we are 

any nearer finality and agreement than 

when Heracleitus first glorified war as the father of 

all things, and contradiction as the central spring of 

life.'* These remarks justify the ne- 

Beason for referring ^essity of saying a few words about 

to Praff matism,^ ,. j-o • -ou-i -u 

and Bergsonian Pragmatism and Bergsonian Philosophy 

Philosophy. and showing the desirability of enlisting 

in the field of philosophy what may be 

called a fresh competitor in the shape of Amourism, as 



14 

we shall name the path which Providence has been pleased 
to point out for the benefit of those who are anxiously 
looking for a practical solution of the problem of life. It 
must be owned, however, that Amourism is by no means a 
novice. It is an old but somewhat forgotten path so 
joyfully trodden by several pet children of God like Dhruva 
and Prahlad in the past ages and by saints like Tukarama 
and Kabira in our own iron * age. It is, therefore, evi- 
dently the most ancient one, now presented in a modern 
garb to suit the taste of the living gene- 
Amourism, an old ^^^ion-an old wine, SO to speak, in a 

path, the Eternal , ^ i ,, 

Truth. new bottle. " Every great teacher, says 

Swami Vivekananda, " understands this 
and that is why a continual succession of prophets 
has to come to show us the principle and give 
it a new covering suited to the times. My Master 
. taught that religion is one ; all prophets teach the same, 
but they can only present the principle in a form, 
so they take it out of the old form and put it before 
us in a new one.'* Amourism is the real, unmixed, eternal 
truth, be it called by the name of Revelation, Science, 

* A day and night of Brahma make up what is called a 
Kalpa, which consists of 4320000000 human jears and 360 
Kalpas make a year of Brahma. 100 years of Brahma make a 
Maha Kalpa, at the end of which the body of Brahma dies and 
the universe comes to an end. Since the beginning of this 
Kalpa-creation, six out of a total of 14 Manvantaras and twenty- 
seven out of 71 Divine cycles of the seventh have rolled away. 
This is the twenty-eighth Divine cycle of which the first three 
sections viz. Golden Age (Satja Yuga), the Silver Age (Treta 
Yuga) and the Copper Age (Dvapara Yuga) have passed away 
: and we are just in the early part of the fourth section, the 
Iron Age (Kali Yuga). 



15 

Religion, Philosophy or by any other name which may 
suit the fancy of man. For, it has been realized * in the 
past, it is being realized in our own days and it will be 
realized in times to come. All other so called truths may 
be, at the best, only partially true, like the experiences of 
the blind man who caught hold of the legs or trunk or ears 
of an elephant and declared that the beast resembled a 
pillar or a python or a winnowing fan, but they cannot be 
wholly so, or they may be only relatively true, like ' Ptole- 
mic Astronomy, Euclidean Space, Aristotelian Logic, 
Scholastic Metaphysics, which were expedient for cen- 
turies ' but they must be absolutely false. Nay, what 
would be the fate of even our present Astronomy if the 
theory of the Japanese Scientist Mr. Hiromichi lida, that 
the earth is flat and not round, as we all understand it to 
be, proves one day to be correct ? 

8. The two types t of philosophy described by the 

Western writers are : — I, Rationalistic, 

Two types of Phi- .^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ tender-minded or of per- 

losophy : 1. Ra- -_.,., , . -r^ . . .v 

tionalisticandlJ. SOUS of God-hke nature [Daivt sampattt) 

Erapiricistic. and II, Empiricistic, i. e., that of the 

tough-minded or of persons of Demo- 

* They are based upon positive, inner experience, and 
are, therefore, as much verifiable through their specific methods 
as are the truths of what claim in our day to be positive 
ficiences. — The Soul of India, 

t In philosophy we have a very similar contrast, express- 
ed in the pair of terms * rationalist ' and * empiricist,' * empiri- 
cist ' meaning your lover of facts in all their crude variety, 
* rationalist ' meaning your devotee to abstract and eternal 
principles. I think you will practically recognize the two 
types of mental make-up that I mean if I head the columns by 
the titles * tender-minded ' and * tough-minded ' respectively. 



16 



niac nature {Asuri sampatti). Both are dealt with fully 
in the Bhagavad-Gita and the result is expressed in 
the words " Daivi sampadvimokshdya nib andhdy asuri 
mata'—B. G. XVI. 5, which mean that the God-like nature 
leads to freedom and the Demoniac 

rragmatism regards 4.^ u j -r^ ^- 1 

herself as a medi- ^o bondage. Pragmatism, however, 
ator between the which regards herself "as a medi- 
two. ator between tough-mindedness and 

tender-mindedness " deserves special consideration here. 
Pragmatism, as a method, is indeed 
inevitable. The Upanishads and the 
Bhagavad-Gita do use it in treat- 
ing of the knowledge of Brahma or the 
Summum Bonum, when they begin the 
with ' Annam * Brahmeti vyajdndt * — Tait, 



Pragmatic method 
followed in the 
Upanishads and 
the B h a g a V ad- 

aita. 



discourses 
III. 2.T, i. 



know food to be Brahma ' and ' Indriydni 



The Tender-minded. 

Rationalistic (going by 

^ principles'), 
Intellectualistic, 
Idealistic, 
Optimistic, 
Religious, 
Free-willist, 
Monistic, 
Dogmatical. 



The Tough-minded. 

Empiricistic (going bj 

' facts'), 
Sensationalistic, 
Materialistic, 
Pessimistic, 

Irreligious, " 

Fatalistic, 
Pluralistic, 
Sceptical. 
— Pragmatism by William James^ 



* You will thus see that the Teacher here does not pre- 
sent to his pupils his own conclusions regarding Brahman or 
the Ultimate Reality, He does not impose his own faith or 
idea upon him ; but simply gives him a problem in equation, 
so to say, and wants him to solve it for himself Food here 



17 



pardnydhuh — B, G. IIL 42 ', i. e., * they say that the senses 
are beyond the gross-body ', because, setting aside prin- 
ciples they proceed from the facts which are known ta 
those unknown. If we have to teach anything to a child, 
we must go down to his levelt. We would be acting un- 
wisely, if we were to stick to our own high position and, 
thence force him to believe what he himself cannot see. 
We are, therefore, asked not to disturb the convictions of 
the ignorant (' Na buddhibhedam janayedajndndm karma* 
sangindm ' and ' Tdnakritsnavido manddnkritsnavinna vf- 
chdlayet * — B, G. III. 26 and 29) and never to reveal the 
true secret to thoughtless persons and unbelievers (Idam te 

ndtapaskdya yo'bhyasuyati — B. G. XVIII. 67). Thus» 

if people are pleased with the world and are quite happy, 
we ought not to tell them that it is false, for, we only make 
them miserable thereby. If they are, however, tired of it 
and feel restless, then alone it is our bounden duty * to- 
prove to them that the world is a mere appearance and that 
it does not really exist, and so endeavour to make them 

joyful {Ya idam paramam guhyam Mdmevaishyatyasan-- 

Quotation from Shri shayah—B. G. XVIII. 68). In order, there- 
Earn akrish n a fore, that teaching may take effect one 
Pa:iinahansa has to take into account the * time factor'^ 
about Time Fac- u Knowledge ", says the Gospel of Shri 
Ramakrishna, "cannot be communicated 

really stands for the material basis of the universe. The con- 
clusion that the ultimate Reality is Food, means really, in 
terms of the modern mind, that it is matter. It is the final 
verdict of the physico-chemical group of the sciences. That 
"Annam is Brahman," is the universal verdict of materialism 
both ancient and modern. — The Soul of India, 

t " The Vedas, however, have to come down to our level; 
for if the J told us the highest truth in the highest way, we- 
could not understand it." — Swdmz Vivekdnanda, 

* Jo sarvada gupta jananta vage / prapanna bhaktan nija* 
bodha sange // Ndrayana Maharaja. 

2 



18 

all at once. Its attaiment is a question of time. Suppose 
a fever is of a severe type. The doctor could not give 
quinine under such circumstances. He knows that such a 
remedy would do no good. The fever must first leave the 
patient, which depends upon time, and then the quinine 
would be useful. Sometimes the fever would go off with- 
out your having to give the patient quinine or any other 
medicine. Precisely the same is the case with a man who 
seeks for knowledge. To him religious precepts often prove 
useless so long as he is immersed in worldliness. Allow 
him a certain period for enjoyment of the things of the 
world ; his attachment to the world will gradually wear off. 
This is exactly the time for the success of any religious 
instruction that may be given to him. Till then they 
would be as good as entirely thrown away. Many come 
to me, and I have observed how some of them are anxious 
to listen to my words. But one or two of the company 
appear to be restless and impatient in my presence. They 
say to their friends in whispers, ' Let us go, let us go. — 
Well, if you mean to stay we had better go into the boat 
and wait for you'. It is difficult to drive nails into a pucca 
brick wall. It will break the head of the nails sooner than 
make any impression upon the wall. It is idle to strike 
the crocodile with the sword. The chances are that the 
sword will not make a cut. Therefore, I say that the ele- 
ment of time is an important factor in all these matters. 
Spiritual awakening is very much a question of time. 
The teacher is a mere help. The fact is, a great deal 
of all this desire for knowledge or for freedom depends 
upon one's Karma in one's previous incarnations." 
This is the reason why the saint Tukarama says in 
one place that as soon as one comes into contact with 
the saints they make him like themselves (Apand sdrikhe 
kariti fatkdla / ndhin kdlavela taydMdgi //) and in another 



19 



that one must wait till his time comes {Tukd mhane 

ndhin chdlata tdtadi / prdpta kdla ghadi dlydvina //). The 

object of knowledge is simply to ejive 
Object of knowledge , -^ . -, . f . • S* 

is to give happi. happmess and not to create misery. For, 

ness. ' if ignorance is bliss *tis folly to be wise '. 

When a man is asleep, we never disturb 

him even when we know that he is dreaming. But the 

moment he cries out ' tiger, tiger ' we hasten to awaken 

him. In the same way, at a dramatic performance, we 

allow a child to enjoy uninterruptedly the different scenes 

before him and never disclose to him the fact that what 

he sees is not a reality, until he is frightened by the 

appearance of some dreadful figure on 

<Eationali.ts nieed ^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^f the rationalists, 

not be arraid or *^ ,. -, , 

the world. therefore, as have realized everything 

to be Brahma ought not to fight shy of 
this free drama of a world. One jump more and they 
will be secure for ever. The Pragmatic propositions, that 
' a sort of free-will * determinism is true 
Determinism is philosophy ' and that 'the world is in- 
true Philosophy dubitably one if you look at it in one way, 
but as undoubtedly is it many, if you look 
at it in another ', are so true that no reasonable man can 
raise any objection against them. But these seem to be 
mere theories. For, when the question of practice comes 
and one finds statements like * Pragmatism is uncomfort- 
able away from facts' and 'Rationalism is comfortable 
only in the presence of abstractions ' he 

Superiority of Am- . n t . -, i • . i- , 

ourism over Prag- ^^ ^^^'y disappointed and IS inclined 

matism and Berg- to turn for relief to *Amourism' or 

sonian Philoso- the ' Doctrine of Love \ because it 

P^y* enables him to enjoy Eternal Bliss in the 

* Vide Chapter I, para. 5. 



20 



presence of both t abstractions and facts. To borrow a 
Position explained Pragmatic simile in explanation of our 
by a Pragmatic position in this world. we are lost in the 
simile. woods of ignorance and starved for our 

inability to get the food of Self-Bliss, 
which we have missed for ages. Here is the cow-path of 
Amourism or the Absolute Truth known as True Faith 
{Sachchhraddhd), Perfect Resignation {Samprapatti), Uni- 
versal Charity (Sadbhakti) and Infinite Grace {Sampushti) 
which will be hereafter dealt with as Karma Yoga, or the 
path of action, Jnana Yoga or the path of knowledge, Bhakti 
Yoga or the path of love, and Pushti Yoga or the path of 
Divine Grace. The last named is the Anadi Vaikuntha, the 
habitation of the Personal God, which is the end of the path. 
If we, therefore, follow this path, which is also called 
the Bhakti PanthaJ or the Bhagavata Dharma {Shdshva^ 
tasyacha dharmasya — B. G. XIV. 27), i. e,, the path which 
leads to the Lord of the universe, then alone shall we not 
only save ourselves but also enjoy Eternal Bliss and not 

otherwise {Ashrddhadhdnah purushd mrityu sansdra 

vartmani-B.G.lX.s)' Matter or rather ' our sensations of 
colour, figure, hardness and the like' is nothing but the spirit, 
and if things, which endure no comparison * are permitted 

t Bbinna nasoni di8ati jalin bhinna gkv§L / variuli sViuhhra 
katliina mridi] thanda gara // Taishacha Bjalnna udadhintila 
>ishvagara/ yaje asa ITigamabliupaticha nagara // Vdmana- 
F audit a 

J JVlana sajjana bhaktipantheficTii javen / tari Shri Hari 
pavijeto svaltbaven // Bdmaddsa Swdmi, 

Dasjachefi Mazja hencbi varma / kin Maja arpi sarva 
karma/ mukbja pratfiama Bhagavata Dbaima / sarva karmar 
samarpana Majalagin // YathdrthadipiJcd, 

* Analogies indeed do not go on all fours with tbe things 
to be made clear by them. They are at best one-sided (Eka- 
desbi), being intended to clear up some one particular phase^ 



21 

to be compared, it may be said that, I., The Rationalists, as 

Monists, pant for the gaseous or intoxicating state of the 

Spirit, vtz.,the Steamy Impersonal God or Nirguna Brahma 

and think of nothing else ; IL, The Empricists and, for the 

matter of that, even the Pragmatistst are attached to 

the solid or benumbed state of the spirit, viz., the Icy 

Universe of the three qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas 

with its diverse names, forms and colours {Vishva trigunal) 

and III., The Amourists indulge in the 

^tTlrstelm^^^ liquid or enjoyable state of the Spirit, 

Empiricism the '^iz., the Watery§ Personal God or Saguna 

icyand Amourism Brahma, but they are not at all afraid of 

the Watery or en- satisfying their spiritual thirst v^ith the 

joyable state of j^^ ^^ ^^^ motley universe v^hen occasion 

arises, and to turn, by the burning rays 

of the sun of their knowledge, the water of the Personal 

God or Saguna Brahma into the Oxygen of the Impersonal 

'God or Nirguna Brahma and the Hydrogen of the illusion 

of Pure Sattva or Mula Maya. The Sattvika element of 

Hydrogen is latent in Monism, materialized in Empiricism 

and manifest only in Amourism, but the Brahmika element 

of Oxygen sustains alike the life of all the three viz., the 

Monists, the Empiricists and the Amourists {Etasyaivd- 

nandasyanydni bhutdni mdtrdmupajivanii — Shruti). 

of an unknown thing and bring it out from obscurity. Yet 
analogies enable us to catcli a ,glimpse, however faint, of the 
truth regarding spiritual matters that go beyond the bounds of 
sense-consciousness. — Gospel of Shri Bdmahrishna, 

t Pragmatism represents a perfectly familiar attitude in 
philosophy, the empiricist attitude. — Pragmatism by W, James. 

1 Kin Brahma Nirguna / Brahmachi Ishvara Sasfuna / 
Brahmachi vishva triguna / aisen kalela / taricha Brahma 
kalalefi // Shruti bolati Nirguna Brahma / kin satyam jnana- 
ananantam Brahma / ani sarvam khalvidam Brahma / henhi 
Shruti bolati // Yathdrthadipihd. 

§ Apo Narayanah sakshat. — Shruti. 



22 

g. Amourism is, as has already been traced above^ 

the perfection of Vedantism,* which is 

Amourism is Per- necessarily Rationalistic, being regarded 

Sm'^^tilh'^^is ' as a paragon of all Monistic systems'. 

ism w ic IS ^^^ capital with which Amourism works 

Rationalistic. .^ ,.,,., , • t» . 

IS Love, which, like the nine Kasast or 

poetic sentiments, we all possess in common with the 

lower animals. But the love of the Amourists, who are 

the extremely developed and the most tender-minded of 

the Rationalists, is sweet, pure, transpar- 

Ganges, which enables them to enjoy 
Amourists or , ° . r x^ i , - i- n i i- 

r^ -, the unity of God that underlies all duali- 

broa-men. •' 

ties in the universe without destroying 
them ; whereas the love of the Tough-minded Empiricists 
is insipid, impure and turbid like the muddy water of a 
mountain stream which hankers after nothing but sense- 
objects. The case of the latter is not, however, altogether 
hopeless. For, if they, at any time, perceive their error, 

* Maharshi Vyasa and his disciples Sanjaya and Shuk4- 
cliarya were Vedantists first and they afterwards became 
Amourists, ^. e., Bhagawad-bhaktas or Bhagavatas. 

t The ^nine Rasas are as follows : — (I) Shringara : also 
called the Adi or the original Rasa. It may be rendered into 
English by ^love ; but love with a clear sex-reference. It is 
called the Adi or the original Rasa because it lies at the very 
root of creation. (II) Vira : the word is radically the same as 
the Latin Vir and means the emotion of courage and valour, 
that which we feel at the sight of acts of physical bravery. 
(Ill) Karnna : pity and compassion. (IV) Adbhuta : the sense 
of wonder. Literally it means the emotion that is quickened 
in the presence of something that had never happened before. 
(V) Jbi^sya: laughter. (VI) Bhayanaka : fear. (VII) Bi- 
bhatsa : or the sense of the grotesque. (VIII) Raudra : or the 
teirible. (IX) Shanta : or absolute quietude. — The Soul of 
India. 



23 

as they must do one day, they should take care to unite 
their own impure love with the Holy Love of the Amour- 
ists by keeping constant company with them, so that they 
too, then, may become purej and enjoy the Supreme Bliss* 

The mangentism of these God-men is thus 
^S!'"" ""^ ^^' described* by the saint Tuk^r^ma :- "A 

casual touch of the dust of the feet of 
saints burns to ashes the seed of desire. Then a strong 
liking is produced for the name of God and happiness 
begins to increase hour by hour. Love chokes the throat, 
water flows from the eyes, and His name and form 
manifest themselves in the heart. Tuka says that the 
means is a nice and easy one, but is obtainable only by 

the merit of past lives/' Truly, says 
Fascination. Swami Vivekananda, *' we never preach 

our thoughts with fire and sword. If there 
is one word in the English language to represent the gift 
of India to the world it is this one word Fascination.'' 

10, Bergson's Philosophy is essentially Amouristic 
because it is meant to interpret joy (pure love) as distin- 
guished from pleasure (impure love), as we may judge 

from the following passage in Henri 

Bergson's philoso- Bergson by Algot Ruhe and Nancy Mar-^ 

phy is essentially g^^^^ p^^i :_u When a man follows the 

mouris ic. ^^^^ ^^ ^ philosophy for which the 

various difficulties we have been considering are removed 

and looks at life and the destiny of man in the light of the 

I Mi ton kupanthacha vohala / tun Bhagirafchi sojvala/ 
Guru Gangesa milatan Gangajala / hoina Swami // Ndrdyana^ 
Maharaja. 

Santa charanaraja la^atan sahaja / vasanechen bija 
jaluni jaya// Maga Ramanamin upaje avadi / sukha ghado- 
ghadin vMho l&ge // Kauthin prema date nayanin nira lote / 
hridayifi pragate nama rupa // Tuka mhane sadhana sulabha 
gomaten / pari upatishthe purvapunyen //. 



24 

icnowledge he thus gains, he may come to observe that 
.nature or the course of life provides a signal marking 
steps taken in the accomplishment of human destiny. Life 
has devised a sign telling us v^hen our activity is fully and 
successfully shown : the sign is joy. Observe, it is not 
pleasure ; for pleasure is no more than nature's bribe, by 
which is obtained from the individual man the maintain- 
ing and the propagation of life. Joy is far more and higher. 
It points out the direction in which the driving force of 
life is urging us. It is a sign of triumph of something 
new, created, won ; and nobler and richer the creation the 
more radiant and illuminating is the joy. It is the mark 
of an uprising from within or new life and power of life 
made actual in the man himself, come to enrich him and 
be owned by him. And over it points forward to new 

riches, new advance Let us look, then, to science 

for the advantages it gives in the conduct and convenience 
of our practical life ; but let us turn to philosophy for the 
interpretation and indeed the great encouragement of our 
joy. For joy, as we have said is the sign life gives of the 
real meaning and the true direction of the evolutionary 
process that we share. It reveals to us our creative power 
in a life that has become our own — a life we guide and 
determine towards the fulfilment of our destiny." When 
we are told that it is of the spirit of Bergsonian Philosophy 
that ' the true shall be the opposite of the useful or that 
utility abolishes insight * and that ' the Bergsonian vision 
soars to an utter God of Gods whose total immanence 
constitutes the reality of all that is ', this is an abundant 
proof of the disinterested * character of his work and of 

* What thea are the means to develop this instruction ? 
The Bhagavad-Gita says that each one should do his Karma 
for its own sake, not actuated by the fruits thereof. Similarly 
the Professor (Bergson) puts it thus : ' We must strive to see 



25 

its due sacrifice to God. His efforts t show that he has 

carefully meditated upon Annam (food or 

Proof of his disin- matter), Pranam (life), Manas (mind), 

teresfced sacrifice yijnanam (consciousness) as Brahma or 

ultimate reality like Bhrigu. He has 

thus separated himself from the gross (Sthula) and 

subtle {Sukshma) bodies and become witness of 

*^ Nothing " or the causal {KdranO^) body. He has, 

therefore, now only to hear J from the lips of his 

in order to see and no longer to see in order to act. The Ab- 
solute is revealed very near us and in a certain measure in us. 
It is of psychological and not of mathematical nor logical 
essence. It lives with us. Like us, but in certain aspects in- 
finitely more concentrated and more ^fathered up in itself, It 
endures.' — Professor Berg son and the Hindu Veddnta, 

+ A general idea of his philosophy may be gathered from 
the following quotations : — (1) The considerations (writes 
. Bergson in a letter to a friend) set forth in my " essay " on 
the immediate data of consciousness are inteaded to bring to 
life the facts of liberty, those in Matter and Memory touch up- 
on the reality of Spirit; those in Creative Evolution present 
<5reation as a fact. Prom all this, there clearly emerges the 
idea of a God, creator and free; the generator at once of 
matter and of life whose creative efforts as regards life are 
continued through the evolution of species and the constitution 
of human personalities. (2) But what is nothmg? I try to 
imagine it, to suppress everything ; but I cannot, for T cannot 
suppress myself If I blot out the external world, I still keep 
myself ; if I blot out myself, I still keep a world relative to 
which I am blotted out ; I cannot imagine '^ nothing." — Henri 
Bergson by Algot Buhe and Nanscy Margaret Paul, 

* Nene asen sphurana Karana techi Maya — Chidratnamdld. 

X Ach§,ryavan purusho veda* — Shruti, 

Tad vijnanartham gurumevabhigachchhet— S'/ir2^^z. 

Tad viddhi pranipatena— B. G. IV. 34. 

Tasmad gurum prapadyeta — Shri Bhdgavata. 

Jari sarva shastra mukhodgata jalen / tenen paroksha 
jnanahi hat4 alen / pari svarupa na prakashe kanhifi kelen / 
Sadguru bole vanchuni // Bangandthi Yogavdsishtha. 



26 

Varuna * or Preceptor that Anandam t (joy or love) is the 
Self or God *from Whom all these things 

The limib of his come into being, having come into being 
progress and the ^y ^j^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ j^^p^ ^jj^^^ towards 
desideratum. ^j^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ j^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ 

they enter' and realise the Truth. The Bible too says 
** I am the door ; by me if any man enter in, he shall be 
saved." 

II. With regard to this happiness, the Bhagavad-GitH 
(VI. 20-21) says "That in which the mind restrained by the 
practice of Yoga comes to rest ; that in which he seeing 
the Self by the Self (reason) is pleased in the Self; that in 
which he experiences unending joy which is beyond the 
senses and which can be grasped by the Reason only ; 
Description of the wherein once settled he moves not from 
Bliss as given in the Truth." When the purified mind, 
the Bhagavad- abandoning all recollection of its func- 
^'^^^' tions ceases to work, and when it be- 

coming the Self by means of the Self is content with see- 
ing the Self in the Self, for, it no longer sees the material 
world which is full of misery, there the Yogi enjoys infi» 

* Cf, This state (Bhava) is intensified when the feeling 
of devotion reaches the highest point (Maha Bhava) after God 
vision. The devotee sometimes langhs, sometimes weeps like 
a mad man, he loses all control over his body. This stJbge is 
not attained by ordinary human beings who are not capable of 
conquering the flesh. It is reached by incarnations of God alone 
who appear in this world for the salvation of mankind. — Gospel 
of Shri Bdmahrishna. 

Z Shabda jnanefi parangata / jo Brahmananden sada duUata/ 
shishya prabodhani samartha / to murtimanta svarupa Mazen// 

Ekandthi Bhdgavatd. 

t Anando Brahmeti vyajanat // Anandadhyeva^ khalvi- 
mani bhutani jajante // Anandena jatani jivanti // Anandam 
prayantyabhisamvishanti // Bhriguvalli. 



27 



nite happiness {Sukhamatyanttkam) which is called Bhuma. 
in Samaveda, {Yo vat bhumd tatsukham. — Shruti). It 
transcends the senses, which are all finite and there- 
fore nothing but sources of pain, and 
Revealed to Pure jg revealed to pure reason alone 
eason on y. ^^^ chakshushd grihyate ndpi vdchd 

ndnyairdevaistapasd karmand vd / jndnaprasddena 
vishuddha sattvastastu tarn pashyate nishkalam dhydya 
mdnah — Shruti). When he savours this Supreme Bliss 
he gives up all thought of worldly pleasures and is 
unswervingly attached to it as the flies are to sweets. 
" Now the philosophy of the Vedanta ", says Swami 
Vivekananda, " insists that there is a joy which is 
absolute, which never changes. Such joy cannot consist 
of the amusements and pleasures which we have in this 
life. And yet it is Ved&nta alone which proves that every- 
thing that is joyful in this life is a mani- 
Everything joyful f^gta^tion of that inner Bliss, because that 
ia a manifesfca- . ,, i , - ^i ^ • • ^i_ 

. ,, . ^,. IS the only happmess that is m the uni- 

tion of this BI1S8. X . tT TA 1 1 11 

verse. It is Vedanta alone that declares 
that every moment as it passes we are really enjoying 
this absolute Bliss, covered up, misunderstood or carica- 
tured, though it be: for wherever there is any blessing, 
blissfulness or joy, it is that Absolute Bliss ; even the joy 
of the thief in stealing from some one else, is that Absolute 
Bliss showing itself through him, only it has become obs- 
cured and confused as it were with all sorts of extraneous 
circumstances or caricatured and misunderstood, and in 
this is what we call the joy of the thief." What is happi- 
ness then ? It is nothing but the for- 
Happiness is for- getfulness of everything (Sakaldncht je 

vismritil ticha Ananddchi sthiti — Ananda 
every thiDg. ^ v -iin r • 

Sdgara). When one secures, for instance 

anything that is agreeable to him, such as wealth, honours 



28 

sensual pleasure, etc., his mind is for the time being devoid 
of all ideas and the natural state of the Self which, he then 
experiences is called happiness. As soon as the wave of 
an idea intervenes, the happiness is destroyed. A taste of the 
pure Eternal Bliss of the Self everyone gets withont seek- 
ing for it, as the sage Vasishtha tells Shri Rama in Yoga 
Vasishtha, in the short period between the end of the 
waking state of consciousness and the beginning of the 
sleeping state when one cares for no object, however 
desirable it may be at other times {Nidrddau jdgarasydnte 
yo bhdva upajdyate / tarn bhdvam bhdvayan sdkshddaksh- 
ydnandamashnute //) , but it is the privilege of the Amourist 
alone to enjoy it to his heart's con- 
Amourist's Love is ^^^^ ^^ ^'^Y\. For, his love of God is, as 

binl^God ""^''^ ^^^' Ramakrishna Paramahansa says, 
" like a string in the hands of the wor- 
shipper which binds God. The devotee holds the Lord 
under his control so to speak. The Lord must come to 
him whenever he calls out to Him." " Now, why is this 
eternal search for happiness ? '* says Bharati. " The ans- 
wer is : Because the whole universe of which we are parts 
has come out of that Eternal Abode of Happiness called 
Bliss, where it had dwelt before creation, like a tree in a 
seed, and the memory of which dwells 
: Bharati's reply to ^^jjj j^ ^^^ -^^^^^ consciousnesf of all 
the quest! on creative beings, though it has dropped 

' Why la t h 1 s ^ , . . xt x 

out of their outer consciousnes. Mo true 

steimal s e a r c Ii 

for happiness? ' ^^ ^^^ satisfying permanent happiness can 
be found in material objects and hence 
the failure of material scientists to make humanity either 
contented or happy. It cannot be secured by the means 
or by the instinct after physical senses, which cognize 
only material objects. Where is then this happiness to be 
found ? The answer is : Within ourselves." 



29 

12- The realization of this Bliss will immediately 
clear away all the minor doubts and dif- 
How Mr. Bergson's fe^ences which must remain in Mr, 
minor doubts g^j-ggon's heart in spite of the extensive 
will be cleared ? j^^o^iedge he has already gained by his 
own efforts {Bhidyate hridaya granthi chchhidyante sarva 
Sanshayah — Shruti) as the Maya (illusion of the three quali- 
ties) or Universe (lit. turned into one), which is the shadow, 
is as infinite as the Brahma or God Himself, who is the 
substance, and surrenders itself to none but the Master 
{Daivi hyeshd gunamayi Mama mdyd duratyaya etc. — B. G, 
VII. 14). This shadow of Maya is also as eternal as the subs- 
tance of Brahma is [Ashvattham prdhuravyayam — B.G.XV, 
i), for, although the former, unlike the latter, undergoes 
change every moment during the period of its existence 
{Sthiti kdla), and even temporarily disappears at the close 
of the day, i. e., at the time of its dissolution [Pralaya kdla) 
into its cause or source, yet it does return again, exactly 
as before, the next day, t. ^., at the time of what is called 
its next origin {Srishti kdla) as Time, Space, Mind, Matter, 
Motion and what not ! (Vide Chapter I, paragraph 5), 
Who will, however, when he is awake, continue to waste 
his time and energy in explaining the phenomena which 
he thought his duty to do in his dream ? [Yathd shaydnah 
purusho manasaivdtmamdyayd / shrishtwd lokatn param 
svdpnamanuvishydvahhdsate // Shri Bhdgavata). When Mr. 
Kallen says in the Preface to his ''William James and Henri 
Bergson *' that the difference between James and Bergson 
"turns on what is ultimately a philosophic prevision of 
the future and a philosophic summation of the past '* he 
evidently refers to the philosophies of the West and 
more or less ignores the East. For, the philosophy 
of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita now called . 
Amourism is an Eternal Truth {Shdshvatasyacha dhar^- 



30 



masya — B. G. XIV, 27) which admits of no addition 

or alteration. Names and analogies will no doubt 

change with the times, but the Truth laid down will 

continue as it is for ever, as its 
Defect in Vedan- ^^^^^^ j^ q^^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^jg^^ 

*'^"'' Although Vedantism is the highest of the 

six schools of Indian philosophies, it does not fulfil all the 
requirements of the Vedas. The Vedic Brahma to be 
realized, for instance, does not only, as the Ved^ntists 
and most of the Western philosophers suppose, in- 
clude I the Impersonal {Shaivite) aspect, but also 
the Personal {Vaishnavite) aspect of 
God. "The specific meaning of Brah- 
ma ", says Lord Gauranga,* " is Bhaga- 
wto, who is possessed of absolute spiritual powers, and 
has neither equal nor superior. His manifestations and 
His Body are all of spiritual form ; ignoring these 
spiritual forms and manifestations they call Him 
formless." So also repeats Shri Vallabhacharya in Chap- 
ter I . 6 of his Tattvdrthadipa | Nibandha " That which is 

t The Hindus, however, believe that there is nothing 
original under the sun and that all ideas are in the mind of 
the original creator, Brahma, out of which mankind takes at 
different epochs, in a greater or lesser degree, accor ling to the 
receptivity of each brain. I am almost tempted to think that 
professor Bergson was in one or more of his previous lives a 
sturdy Hindu Vedantin, moving in the Scientific grooves of 
Vedauta. — Professor Bergson and the Hindu Veddnta, 

t Krishna and Shiva are really one : the two names re- 
'^presenting not two entities, but only two aspects of the one and 
the same Truth or Being. — The Soul of India, 

Tukd mhane Hari Hara / eka velanticha phera //. 

* Brahma shabda mukhya arthe kahe Bhagawaaa, chidai- 
shvarya paripurna anarghya samaua / tanhara vibhuti deha 
sarva chidakara, chidvibhuti achchhadiya kahe nirakara // — 
The Soul of India, 

$ The Tattvarthadipa Nibandha consists of three Chap- 



31 



termed Brahma in the Upanishads and Param&tmS, in the 
Smritis, is termed Bhagawan in the Bh^gawata/' In the 
Bhagavad-Gita. too Shri Krishna, after imparting practical 
knowledge of the Impersonal God to Arjuna in VIII. 3 
{Aksharam Brahma paramam) suggests in XIV. 26 the 
means by which he would be fit to become the Personal 
God {Brahmabhuydya kalpate). Thus, 
Amourism, culmi- ^mourism IS the culmination of Ved^n- 
nafcion of Ved- ^.^^^ Besides, it leaves no room for the 
" ^^^' quarrel * complained of by Mr, Kallen 

about the instrument, as the means recommended therein 
is the same as the end itself to be secured, viz., love. For, 
its most important dictum is that God 
Amourism identifi- jg inexpressible love {Sa Ishvaro'nirva- 
es e igion wi chaniya premasvarupah — Ndrada Bhakti 
1 osop y. Sutra) and He is to be won over by 

love t ( Bhakti ) alone. This is also the fundamental 
doctrine of all the great religions I in the world. Amourism 

ters. The first is called Shastrartha or Gitartha. The second 
Sarvanirnaya or opinion of the Aoharya on the principal schools 
of philosophy and systems of religion and the third Bhagava- 
tartha or elucidation of the Meaning of Shrimad Bhagavata. 
— JKfe of Vallahhdchdrya by LalloobJiai Parehh. 

* Inevitably, therefore, the instrument, being always 
the more immediate and certain possession, assumes a con- 
Btantly greater importance, and ends like the Arab's camel by 
crowding its master out of the tent. There arises a worship 
of the instrument. And about this worshipful object is it that 
men fight their greatest quarrels in science and religion and 
^philosophy. — William James and Henri Berg son by Kallen^ 

t Avyavrita bhajanat — Ndrada Bhakti Sutra. 

Bhajatam pritipurvakam — B. O. X. 10. 

Bremen akalila Kripaghana — Giridhara, 

X He that loveth not, knoweth not God ; for God is love, 
— St. John, Chapter TV, 8, 

Yasna XLIV resolves all aspirations into one, vtz.^ love 
of the Ahura alone. — Light of the Avestd and the Odthas. 



32 



thus identifies religion with philosophy. Religion {Dharma) 
is practically Love of God, and Philosophy {Tattvajndnamjy 
Knowledge of God. True religion and true Philosophy 
are, however, one, and they mean the Supreme Love of 
God secured after Self-realization. " Religion ", says Swami 
Vivekananda, " without philosophy runs into superstition ; 
philosophy without religion becomes dry atheism." In 
the same way Shri Vamana Pandita tells us that love 
without knowledge is tasting food without salt and know- 
ledge without love is eating salt without food-grains (Atma- 
jndndvina / Bhakti ten anna alavana / dni anndvdnchuni 
lavana charvana / Bhaktivdnchuni aisd dtmabodha // Yath'^ 
drthadtpikd). God or the Universal Soul,. 
Simile of a king be- ^j^^ -^ ^j^^ j^j^g^ becomes a beggar of the 
coming a eggar g^^^ or.Individual Soul in his dream, and 

m his dream. , . . ^ . . ^ , , . 

m his anxious endeavours to see the king 
awakes to find himself to be none but the King or God 
Whom he seeks. His love of the king, in his dream, 
resembles the Love of God of the dualist. In his waking 
state, his natural love of the self becomes the love of the 
King. Such is the love of God of the Amourist {Khdye bole 
kari I avaghd tydnchyd angen Hart // Deva-bhaktapana / 
Tukd mhane ndhin bhinna // ). Finally, it may be men- 
tioned that none of those who have secured the Supreme 
Goal of Human Life, whatever be their nationality or 
religion, would hesitate, even for a moment 
Amourism, in one ^q swear in the language of the Saint 
shape or another, Xukfirama that, what we now call Amour- 

is the only and ... , ^i_ ^i 

ism, IS, in one shape or another, the 

easiest way for , r i 11 

TP only means for the purpose and that 

securing Free- -^ ^ 

dom arid Eternal although it is the easiest of all, a wise 

gligg man alone will go in for it ( Yd vina 

asatdii dnika sddhana / vahdtasen dna 

Vithobdchi// Tukd mhane sopeii dhe sarvdnhuni / shahdnd 



33 



io dhani gheto yethen // ). Speaking of the perfect Am- 
ourist, Shri Ram^nujacharya says " Upon him Karma has 
no more hold ; perfect devotion to the Lord and complete 
accordance with His will render his actions in this life 
perfectly fruitless ; they will forge for him no further links 
inthechain of Karma, Constant contemplation in the Divine 
Glory and entire absorption in His service 
ShriRamanuja- render for him the exhaustion of past 

chary a 8 descrip- tt ^ i u x. i 

^. . ^, Karma an easy task ; he takes every- 

fcion of bhe per- _ . _ -^ , . . _ ^ "^ 

fecb Amourist) ^^^"S *^^^ ^^^^^ *^ ^'"^ With perfect 
or God- Man. equanimity and goes through it cheer- 

fully as service to the Lord of his heart ; 
peace eternal and unruffled reigns in his heart though 
storms may rage all around and lightenings flash about. 
Such a one does not enjoy or suffer— that he leaves to his 
lower self that produced the causes. He is but the calm 
and silent watcher of the Karma that brought about his 
present incarnation and exhausts itself at the close of that 
life, and he goes before his Lord, free from all eternity, 
Lord of Matter and Master of Karma '* [PraydnaMle'pi cha 
Mdm te viduryuktachefasah // B. G. VII. 30). 



CHAPTER L 

AMOURISM (PREMAMRITA). 

**But» O Arjuna ! it Is by blemishless love alone that I can, 
tbus, in essence, be known, seen and entered into, O Parantapa 
,( terror of your foes ) ! He who does actions for Me, to whom 
I am the highest, who is My lover, who is free from all desires 
and who bears no hatred to any being, he, O Pandava ( son of 
Pandu ) ! comes to Me."— B. Q. XI. 54-55. 

The word Amourism is derived from Latin ' Amor '= 
* Love,' and means the Doctrine of Love or Bhakti. Love 
for whom ? For the Supreme Lord, Ishvara. Love for 
any other being, however great, cannot be Bhakti ; for as 

RS-mS-nuja says in his Shri BhS,shya 
Amourism defined, quoting an ancient AchS^rya, that is to 

say a great teacher: — * From Brahma to 
a clump of grass all things that be are slaves of the birth 
and death that are caused by Karma, therefore they can- 
not be helpful as objects of meditation, because they are 
all in ignorance and subject to change*. This is the true 
secret force of the propositions ' Life is change ' and * The 
universe is nothing but a vast ceaseless change of moving 
and becoming/ in Bergsonian Philosophy {Nahi kaschtt- 
kshanamapi jdtu ttshthatyakarmakrit / knryate hyavashah 
karma sarvah prakritijatrgunaih // B. G. IIL 5). Again 



36 

as Sw&mi ViveMnanda says " Extreme love to God is 
{Para) Bhakti, and this love is the real immortality, get- 
ting which a man becomes perfectly satisfied, sorrows for 
no loss and is never jealous ; knowing which man becomes 
mad. Bhakti cannot be used to fulfil any desires, itself 
being the check to all desires. When all thoughts, all 
words and all deeds are given up unto the Lord, and the 
least forgetfulness of God makes one intensely miserable, 
then (pure) love has begun. This is the hi^jhest form of 
love ; because therein is no desire for reciprocity, which 
desire is in all human love. Love is higher than works, 
than Yoga, than knowledge." 

2. Now, what is God^ ? God is of his own nature in- 
expressible Love {Sa Ishvarah anirvachaniyapremasvaru" 
pah—Ndrada Bhakti Sutra). What 
Qod, the objecb of are the means of attaining God ? 
worship (Dhye- u j^ie one thing needful", replies Shri 
ya), Faith, the R^^akrishna Paramahansa, "is Love^ 

means of worship -^ ^. x. r- j a . ta- 

/ TM- . X ^ or Devotion to God. As to Dispassion 

( Dhyana ) and v i t^. • . • , 

Jfa^, the worship, i^^^'^^y^) ^nd Discrimmation between 

per ( Dhyata ) ^^^ Ro'^l and the Unreal {Atmdndtma 

are aU Love. ' viveka)^ these will come of themselves if 

one loves the Lord." The Lord Himself 

1 **Pei fecfc triiih, pertect happiness, without e-iual, immor- 
tal, absolute unity whom neither speech can describe nor 
mind can comprehend ; all -pervading, all-transceiiding, delight- 
ed with His own i oundless intelligence; not limited by space or 
time; wit! out feet, moving slowly; without hnnds, grasping 
all worlds ; without eyes all -surveying ; without ears all-hear- 
ing ; without an intelligent guide, understanding all ; without . 
cause, the first of all causes ; all-ruling; all-puwerful ; the crea- 
tor, preserver, transformer of all things ; such is the great 
one." — Sir W. Jones Worhs^ YoL VI, 

2 Cf. Vasud»-ve Bhagavati bhaktiyogah prayojitah / 
janayat\ ashu vairagyam jnanam yadbrabmadarshanam II Shri- 
JBhdgavata. 



37 



says in Shri Bh^gavata XL 14,18 " My votaries though 
attracted by pleasures and unable to control their senses 
do not succumb to them by virtue of their strong love." 
So also does the penitent Aila exclaim in XL 26,15 " Who 
else than the Lord Vishnu — the great controller of senses 
firmly fixed in his meditation of Self — who else can restore 
the heart that has been stolen by a seductive harlot?" 
We also find in the Bible " He that loveth not, knoweth 
not God ; for God is Love " — St. John, IV. 8. But how is 
Love to be secured ? It is to be secured by the faithful 
hearing and singing of the Names and Glories of God 
{^Sthdne Hrishikesha tava prakirtyd jagatprahrishyatya' 
nurajyate cha //* B, G. XL 36, and ' Rdgdrtha prakirtti 
sahacharyat ' — Shdndilya Bhakti Sutra). " Be filled with 
the spirit '', says the Bible, " speaking to yourselves in 
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making 
melody in your heart to the Lord '' — Ephesiansy Chapter 
V. 18 and 19. Lord Chaitanya speaks as follows : — 
" From Pure Faith is born Love. Therefore, I tell you 
of the signs of Pure Faith. Leaving all other desires, 
worship of others, knowledge and work devote all your 
organs to the cultivation of Krishna.^ This is Pure Faith, 

1 One who draws away or removes (akarshayati) difficul- 
ties (vighnan) or, as some say, draws us to Himself who is 
absolute Love. 

Of. (a) "The Vaishnavas say that the word 'krisha' denotes 
power, the syllable * na ' denotes bliss and that the combina- 
tion of the two is called Parabrahma." 

(&) *' Men learning of the history of the family of Yadu 
are saved from all sins. For, in the said family was born the 
Supreme Brahma in the form of man and known as Krishna." 
-—Vishnupurdnay IV. 42. 

(c) *^ The son of Devaki is Vishnu. Madusudana is 
Brahma. In the Shruti we also have Vasudeva recognised 
as Supreme Brahma." 



3« 

the source of Love. Its signs are described in the N^rada 
Pancha Rfi^tra and the Bh&gavata." Thus the means or 
instrument of worship and the end or object of worship 
are both Love and Love alone. Lastly, what is Man, the 
Individual Soul {Jivdtmd), who is the worshipper ? He too 
is Love, because being a portion {Mamaivdnsho jivaloke — 
B, G. XV. 7), or rather reflection^ {Pratihimbdkhyam'^ 
Shruti ) of God or the Universal Soul {Paramdtman) he 
cannot be any thing else. 

3- Similarly, if God, the Universal Soul, Who is the 
Spirit and man, the Individual Soul, who is His reflection 
are both proved to be in nature nothing but Love, we 
must know what matter, of which the Universe is com- 
posed, is. Sw&^mi R^ma Tirtha teaches 
Swami Mma Tir- ^s in the following extracts from his 
ther thab " Mat- lecture On * Self-realization' that matter 
ter is Love." too is Love. 



(d) " Shri Krishna is the highest representative and 
Avatar of the Supreme God of Love. He is the only accredit- 
ed Prophet of the world who held women in the highest respect 
and looked upon them as the born saviours of their ruder bro- 
thers. He is the genius of East and West, of ancient Bhara* 
tavarsha and Hellas, combined in one and He alone of all the 
greatest born teachers, leaders and rulers of mankind had 
possessed in His Person the noblest element of Truth, Good and 
Beauty. The religion of Shri Krishna is the religion of every 
genuine human heart and conscience and He it is who had un- 
reservedly proclaimed Himself to be one in aim and origin 
with all the most sacred Prophets and;Teachers, Poets and 
Preceptors of every land and age." — Bdmaiah, 

1 The Ohaitanya (consciousness) which is reflected and 
shines in it (Avidya or hridaya granthi) is Kshetrajna (Indivi- 
dual Soul). Kutastha is he who is formed without exception 
in the Buddhi of all creatures from Brahma down to ants 
and who is shining as Atma and dwells as witness to the Buddhi 
of all creatures. — Sarvasdra V;panishad. 



39 

" The whole universe is made up of one Infinite Ocean 
of Love, what you might call Love. The stars are held 
together by gravitation. Gravitation is attraction and 
that is Love. All chemical combinations take place through 
the force of chemical affinity. That is Love between atom 
and atom. Love between atom and atom is called 
affinity. Love between one planet and another is called 
Gravitation. Love between molecules is called Affinityo 
This book is held together by the force of Cohesion. 
Cohesion is Love. The whole world is like the waves 
and ripples in one great ocean of Love, and science has 
shown, Lord Kelvin and others have shown, that " all 
matter is nothing else but force." Now force in this world 
is manifested chiefly as Gravitation, Cohesion, Chemical 
Affinity, Electricity, Magnetism, Light, Heat etc. Magne- 
tism and Electricity, what is there in them ? You find 
attraction. Heat seems to disunite apparently, seems to 
separate particles, but science proves by looking at matter 
from another stand-point, that which is dissolution or 
separation from one stand-point, is love and attraction 
from another stand-point. The whole world is simply the 
eddies, the ripples, in the ocean of Force. That power, 
that energy of force is according to Vedtota, your real 
Self, the same you are. Realize that. That same power, 
energy of force is called Love." 

In the Life Science by Earnest Yates Loomis we also 
find that God, man and the so-called matter are all proved 
to be one and the same thing thus : — 

" An omnipresent truth itself is God, so is man its co- 
existing ' power to think ' of truth, which is all that is. 
That power is God's method of demonstrating through 
man (and every man) the omnipotence of truth. Truth 
itself is the eternal vibration which originates the vibratory 
powers of thought. Modern science proves that every 



40 

solid is only a rate of vibration, or mode of motion and the 
Roetgen X rays give doubters an opportunity to occularly 
demonstrate that fact. Then every solid is only solidified 
thought, and therefore the manifestation of truth or God. 
Nature is God manifest. If truth itself is God, it is easy 
to believe in its omnipresence and omniscience and that 
each atom is omnipotent potentially. If man is the power 
to think, it is easy to believe in the omnipotence of 
thought. It would, of course, be as omnipotent as its 
source, for the power to think of one thing implies the 
power to think of any other. As thought is vibration, and 
truth its co-existent source, it is easy to see the connec- 
tion and oneness between God, man and so called matter 
which science proves is only a rate of vibration." 

4. God in His infinite mercy has provided Law to 

every nation according to its peculiar 
The words of God. needs, by which it may be judged, and if 

any urge that they are unprovided they 
cannot deny at least the Law which He has written in 
their hearts^. " He who is depraved does not listen to 
the Divine Law,'* says Demophilus, " and on this account 
lives without Law.'* All incarnations of God in the shape 
of Avatars, Prcphets, Sages and Saints proclaim one 
eternal principle and so far, they agree ; but as their mis- 
sion has been to apply the principle to the special condi- 
tions of their age, they must necessarily differ as much as 
their conditions differ. The Vedas for instance, are intend- 

1 For not the hearers of the Law are just before God, 
but the doers of the Law shall be justified. For when the 
Gentiles, which have not the Law, do bj nature the things con- 
tained in the Law, these, having not the Law are a Law unto 
themselves ; which show the work of the Law written in their 
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness and their 
thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another 
— JBomaws II. 13-15. 



41 



ed for people whose hearts are thoroughly purified, Zoro- 
astrianism for a Sattvika nation and Christianity and 
Muhammedanism for the Rajas and Tamas respectively. 
" Most of the great religions of the world**, says Swami 
Vivekananda, owe allegiance to certain books, which they 
believe are the words of God or some other supernatural 
beings, and which are the basis of their religion. Now of 
all these books, according to the modern Savants of the 
West, the oldest^ are the Vedas of the 
Tedas, the oldest Hindus This mass of writings call- 
writings, ed the Vedas is not the utterance of per- 
sons. Its date has never been fixed, can 

never be fixed, and, according to us the Vedas are eternal 

They were never written, never created, they have existed 
throughout time, just as creation is infinite and eternal, 
without beginning and without end, so is the knowledge of 
God without beginning and without end. And this know- 
ledge is what is meant by the Vedas {Vida-to know). 
Whenever you hear that a certain passage of the Vedas 
comes from a certain Rishi, never think that he wrote it, or 
created it out of his mind ; he was the seer of the thought 
{Mantra drashtd) which already existed ; it existed in the 
universe eternally. This sage was the 
Bishi (sage) or ^jscoveret ; the Rishis were spiritual 

Mantra Drashta j. n t t_* i ^ tt- j • 

discoverers. In his lecture on Hinduism 
(seer of thought). ^u r- w r o t • 

before the Convention of Religions m 

India, Sw^mi Sharad&,nanda, therefore, says : — " It was 

then that the Vedic sage proclaimed the glad tidings to 

men and to all beings that they too might come and 

partake of the divine bliss — Shrinvantu vishve amritasya 

putra aye dhamani divyani tashthuh / vedahametam 

1 The late Prof. Mas Muller sajs that the Rigveda is 
* the oldest book m the library of the world, and the Mrst 
word spoken bj the Aryan race'. 



42 



purusham mahantamaditya varnam tamasah parastdt //. 
Hear ye children of immortal Bliss, even ye that reside ins 
higher spheres, I have found the Ancient Effulgent One^ 
Who is beyond all darkness and all division/* 

5. The Vedas, ^ which, Shri ShankarS^charya says, 
in his Swatma Nirupana, " are the high- 
^^^eiJdtvTsionr'^ ^^^ authority either because they are 
beginningless {Anddi) or because they are 
the utterances of the Supreme Lord {Purushanihshvasitam) 
are principally three {Traividyd — B. G. IX. 20) in number 
viz., the Yajus, the Rik and the Sama. Each of them is 
divided into Upanishads (Eternal Spiritual Truths) and the 
Mantras (incantations, hymns and ceremonies, the prac- 
tice of which cleanses the impurities of the mind and body). 
According to the simile^ of a bird used by the Vedas 
themselves, the Yajus forms the head {Shirah), the Rik 
the right wing {Dakshinah pakshah), and the Sama the 
left wing {Uttarah pakshah). As, of all the parts of the 
body it is the head above the shoulders alone that 
enables us to make out persons, so, it is the Yajus 
which determines the Self by separating it from the differ- 
ent sheaths in which it is enclosed. For this reason, 
what is called the ' Bhargavi Varuni Vidy^ ' or * The 
knowledge imparted by Varuna to (his son) Bhrigu' in the 
Taittiriyopanishad forms the leading feature of this Veda. 
Following the father's injunction, by progressive Tapas, 
Bhrigu rose step by step to the recognition of food 
{Annam), the Life Breath (Prdndh), the Mind {Manas)^ 

1 The Vedas are divided into Upauishads (Eternal Spiri- 
tual Truths)- and the Mantras (Incantations, Hjmns and 
Ceremonies, the practice of which cleanses the impurities of 
the mind and body). — Bhdrati, 

2 Tasya Yajureva shirah // Rik dakshinah pakshah// 
Samottarah pakshah // Adesha atma // Atharvangirasah puchcli- 
ham pratishtha — Shruii. 



43 

knowledge {Vijndnam) and finally Bliss {Anandam) as 
Brahma. The explanation of these five^ sheaths {Koshas) 
as well as the detailed account of the ovigin {Srishtikdla) of 
the universe is the subject matter of the 
^^Ind ^thro^^n Yajur-Veda. We are told there that at 
^r.i TT^ • first, there was, as it were, a full eternal 

of the Universe. r i x V • x i t^ i 

ocean of the Infinite Impersonal Brahma 
— one without cause and without a second [Nirvikalpam 
anantam cha hetudrishtdntavarjitam — •Shruti) in which ap- 
peared a wave "I am Brahma " {Aham Brahmdsmiti — > 
Shruti). This wave is called Mula Maya (first illusion),, 
Vidy^ (knowledge), Shuddha Sattva (Pure Sattva), Avyakta 
Tat tva (the unmanifested element) and so on. The Im- 
personal Brahma pervading it is called the Personal God 

or Saguna Brahma {Apdni pddo Purusham Purdnam 

— Shruti). The combination of the two viz. Brahma and 
MS.y& is what we call Eternal Time { Ahamevdkshyah 
kdlo — B. G. X. 33), the efficient^ cause of the universe, its 
material cause being the Impersonal Brahma itself. Here 
arose a feeling of loneliness and discomfort and conse- 
quently a desire to multiply for the sake of the universe 
{EJcdki na ramate / ataeva ekoham bahusydm prajdyeya — » 
Shruti). This second wave which arose through the pre- 
ponderance of Rajas is called Gunamayi Maya (the illu- 
sion of the qualities), Avidya (ignorance), Triguna^ Sutra 

1 (i) ADnamaja (Gross or dense body), (^) Pranamaya 
(Etheric double), (3) Manomaya (Mental or astral body), (4) 
Vijcanamaya (Causal body) and (5) Anandamaya (Bliss-body). 
The first is also called Sfchula Deha. The second and third are 
generally included in one termSukshma or Ling-a Deha (Subtle 
body), the fourth and fifth are sometimes named Karana Deha 
and Maha Karana Deha respectively. Vide Chap. V. 12. 

2 Vividha sriji jaga / anadi srishti kala to visar^a /nimit- 
takarana jag&chen Shriranga / bole yathartha ha artha // 
YathdrthadipiJcd. 

3 Tenchi (Triguna Sutra) jalen Mahattattva. — Yathdr- 
thadzpikd. 



44 



(the thread of the three qualities), and so on, in which all 
ignorant souls rest^ during the period of dissolution (Pra- 
laya Kala). Its thought-form is called Mahat Tattva^ (great 
element). That which is reflected in it is Hiranya Garbha 
Chaitanya (' Tat srishtvd tadevdnuprdvishat ' — Shruti, and 
* Mama yonir mahad Brahma tasmingarbham dadhdmya- 
ham' — B. G. XIV. 3). It is this reflecttion also called 
Brahma that represents the individual souls of beings 
and is responsible for the enjoyments and sufferings of life 
(' Saeva m^dyd parimohitdtmd &c,*'Shruti and ' Purushah 
sukhaduhkhdndm bhoktritve heturuchyate //*-^B, G. XIII. 
20), From Mahat through the preponderance ofTamas 
arose Ahankara. This is, like the flywheel in machinery, 
the cause of all motion and activity in the universe, which 
is necessarily the result of the reflection^ of the Sun of 
Brahma coming in contact with the water of Avidya or 
ignorance. That which is reflected in Ahank&ra is Virata 
Chaitanya {Tasmddvirddajdyata — Shruti). also called Mah^- 
rudra.^ Ahankara produced sound^ and the rest. The whole 
animate and inanimate world is born of sound, the attribute 

1 Jjanchen ajiiaija gelen nahifi te pralajin ya mayenta Una 
hotata — Kaivalya Sdgara, 

2 Jenmahattattvaadhin jhalen /tyanta chaitanya pratibim- 
baleii / to Bralana, bralimanda rachalefi / sharira jyachen// 
Tj^chechi vegalale / mahattattvacbe an^ha jhale / pratibimba 
chaitanya pavaien ten jivatva // Nigamasdra. 

3 AngaDin fenrya jalin pTatibimlita, teja gharaotila bhinti- 
vari / tenen dise udakafitila bhaskara, mukhya k^^la ravi ty& 
npari // Jistava indriya deha sachetana, j4aiva mipana te 
dusan / shriguruvakya kale mbane Vamana, te paraniarthakal4 
tisari // Sjphutasavdi. 

4i Mahattattvacha sattvansha/ ahaokarinasheshaprakasha/ 
tyafita / pratibimba chidakasha to Mabarudra // — Nigamasdra, 

5 Mulaprakritirvikntirniahadadjab prakritivikritayah- 
sapta / sbodasbakascba vikaro na prakritirna vikritih 
purushah // Sdnhhya Shloha. 



45 

of vacuum [Akdsha) or space which was the first manifesta- 
tion of creation. That first sound was * AUM *^ pronounc- 
ed in English ' OM.' The vowel A, the initial letter in 
*AUM,' is the parent of all letters and lan^u^ges and is 
therefore regarded by Shri Krishna as his Vibhuti or Ema- 
nation (Ais/rara^am Akdrosmi — B. G. X. 33). From Space 
{Akdsha) arose Air {Vdyu), from Air {Vdyu) Fire (Agm), 
from Fire {Agni) Water [Apas), from Water ( Apas) Earth 
{Prithvi)y from Earth {Prithvi) Herbs (Oshadhayah), from 
Herbs {Oshadhayah) Food (Annam) and from Food (An- 
nam) Souls or Purushah (Tasmdtvd Atman Akdshah sama^ 
bhutah dkdshdd vdyuh vdyoragnih agnirdpah adbhyah pri' 
thivi prithivyaoshadhayah oshadhibhydm annam anndd' 
purushah — Shruti). We are told in the Paingal Upanish- 
ad that Ishvara, having taken a small portion of the 
quintuplicated Mahabhutas (the great elements), made in 
regular order the gross bodies, both collective and segre- 
gate. In the gross body [Sthula Deha ) 
The twenty.four jjg^jj.^ sj^jj^^ nerves, flesh and bones 
elements consbi- ^^^ ^f ^^iQ essence of earth {Prithvi) ; 

tutinff the eross , • • i_ 1 j j ^ 

, , , , saliva, urme, blood, semen and sweat are 

and subtle bod- _ . - ^ / ;S . \ ^^ 

of the essence of water (Apas) ; hunger, 

thirst, fatigue, sleep and copulation are 
of the essence of fire (Agm) ; moving, running, breathing, 
stretching and contracting are of the essence of Air [Vdyu) 
and passion, anger, avarice, delusion and fear are of the 
essence of space (Akdsha). Then He created Pr^nas (life- 
breaths) out of the collective three p -rts of the Rajas 

1 The mystical and immntaiJe ^ which \ e\i\g composed 
of the three letters *A* 'U' *M' signify successively the three 
Vedas (Rik, Yajus and Sam), the three sta'es of Life (.lagrita, 
Svapna and Sushupti), the three worlds, (the earth, the heaven 
and the hell), tlie three Gods (Brahma, V.shnu and dudra), and 
wliich b> Its Ardha Matra is indicative of Thj fourth stage 
{Turiya) Paramesliwara. — Mahimna Stotra, 



46 



essence of the fivefold divided elements. The modifica- 
tions of life-breaths (Prdwcr) are Prana (upward breath), 
Apdna (downward breath), VyS.na (stretching or collecting 
the limbs), Uddna (remaining in the whole body till death), 
and SamS,na (regulating food and drink) ; Naga (causing 
to throw out belch &c.), Kurma (enabUng one to open or 
close the eyelids), Krikala (helping to sneeze), Devadatta 
(by which we yawn), and Dhananjaya (not leaving the 
body even after death) are the auxiliary Pranas. Of the 
first five, the heart, anus, navel, throat and the whole body 
are respectively the seats. Then He created the Karmend- 
riyas (organs of action) out of the fourth part of Rajoguna, 
OfAka^sha and the rest, the mouth, legs, hands and the organs 
of secretion and excretion are the modifications. Talking , 
walking, lifting, excreting and enjoying are their functions. 
Likewise out of the three collective parts of the Sattva 
essence. He created the internal organ called Antahkarana, 
Heart {Antahkarana), mind {Manas), reason {Buddhi), con- 
science {Chitta) and egoism {Ahankdra) are the modifica- 
tions. The state devoid of thought {Nirvikalpa Sphurana)^ 
thought {Sankalpa), certitude {Nischaya), memory {Anw 
sandhdna) and Tness (Ahampratyaya) are their functions. 
Out of the remaining fourth pirt of the Sattva essence, 
He created the Jnfmendriyas (organs of perception). Ear, 
skin, eyes, tongue and nose are the modifications. Sound, 
touch, form, taste and odour are their functions. These 
are the components of the subtle body {Sukshma or Linga 
Deha), The five so called internal organs [Antahkarana 
panchaka) entering the organs of perception {Jndnendriyas), 
through the different life-breaths {Prdnas) in accordance 
with the previous tendencies {Purva sanskd a), enjoy 
the sense-objects, and, in the same way, by means of the 
^organs of action {Karmendriyas) perform the functions of 
talking, lifting, walking, secreting and excreting. They 



47 

are, therefore, necessarily responsible for the acts of merit 
and sin done through the organs of action (Kartritva) as 

well as for the happiness and misery 

Free-will Determi- enjoyed through the organs ofpercep- 

^isna- tion {Bhoktritva). The Self, who stands 

aloof as a mere witness of this pheno- 
mena, has got nothing to do with them, and yet, alas ! is 
held responsible for them, simply because he identifies 
himself with them. Therefore, the Shruti says that the 
Self is like one who is being driven in a chariot, which is 
the body. The reason is the charioteer, the mind the 
reins and the senses the horses. With the union of these 
he reaches the goal, that is, enjoys the sense-objects 
{Atmdnam rathinam Sc), When one, however, separates 
himself from the two bodies (gross and subtle) i. e., from 
all the twenty-four elements^ (Tattvas) mentioned above 
and realizes the Self he becomes free. One who does not 
do this commits suicide {Atmahanojanah — Ish. 3) becauses 
although, there is Determinism, so far as his actions^ as 

1 The t^.^i c priDjary aud pruducCive eiemeats viz. (1) 
Avyakta or Chitta i. e. the undeveloped principle or coQSCience 
{Natura naturans); (2) The Baddhi (reason); (3) The Ahan- 
Mra (Egoism); (4-8) The five Tanmatras or essences of sound, 
touch, form, tasie and odour and II. The sixteen Vikaras or 
modificatiofis viz. 9-13 The five Jnauendriyas (organs of per- 
ception); 14-18 The five Karmendriyas ( organs of action); 19 
Manas (central organ or mind); 20-24 The Mahabhutas 
(material elements). The Purusha is God Himself. — 8hdnrak 
JJpanishad , 

2 ** Man is altogether fashioned out of desire (Kama); 
according to his desire is his discernment (Kratu); according 
to his discernment he does bis work (Karma)". — The Fhihsophy 
of the TJjpanibhads by Paul Deussen, 

" All this is the ripe Karma, and this can be sketched out 
in a horoscope cast by a competent astrologer. In all this the 
man has no power of choice ; all is fixed by the choices he has 
made in the past, and he must dij^ charge to the uttermost far- 
thing the liabilities he has contracted." — The Ancient Wisdom. 



48 



well as enjoyments and sufferings in this life, which are not 
in his control, are concerned, yet in spite of this, he has 
s. Free-Will, i. e., power to desire anything he chooses. 
For, the Shruti says that ' This Atman is not to be reach- 
ed through various sciences nor much study of the Vedas, 
but whomsoever this Atman desires, by him is the Atman 
attained, unto him this Atman discovers Himself * {Ndya- 
mdtmd pravachanena labhyo na medhayd na bahund shru' 
tena / yamevaisha vrinute tena labhyastasyaisha AtmA 
vivrinute tanum svdm //}. Archbishop Butler admits in 
his ^ Analogy' that the fact that we are conscious of a 
will is reconcilable with the Doctrine of Necessity and 
says that if the fatalist denounces any puni-hment as 
unjust, because it is inflicted for doing that which the 
sufferer could not help doing, the necessity which is sup- 
posed to destroy the injustice of murder, for instance, 
would also destroy the injustice of punishing it* Thus, 
the Vedas support the Pragmatic proposition that ' Every 
thing of course is necessarily determined and yet of course 
our wills are free ; a sort of Free-Will Determinism is the 
true Philosophy.* It is evident that, although it is not 
in the power of any one of us to become a kirig, there is 
nothing to prevent us all from wishing to become kings. 
Nay, we actually entertain desire every moment for some- 
thing or other, but how often do we find by experience 
that the acquisition, after great efforts, of what we have 
been longing for has done us, in the long run, more harm 
than good! The Scriptures as well as Prophets and Saints 
of all nations, therefore, come forward to guide ou r Will. ^ 

"The Bhaft that has gone out of the bow must rua out its 
race." 

1 The word * Will' expresses nearly the same idea as is 
conveyed by the word 'Dauat' in most of the Indian Vernaculars 
as may be seen from the Proverb ' Jaisi danata, taisi barkhat* 
•which means * As the Will, so the Peace of Mind.' 



49 



Will is thus a great power in the hands of man. We may 
be unable to improve our material good in the world but 
we can, if we wish, even in this life, make ourselves happy 
for ever, for, every true religion professes to prepare us 

for the next life. " Karma," says MrSo 
Karma is the Law g^^^^^ j^ c j.^^ Ancient Wisdom\ " is the 
of Cause and, r .- ^.1.1 r 

law or causation, the law of cause 

and effect. It was put pointedly by the 
Christian Initiate, St. Paul : ' Be not deceived ; God is not 
mocked ; for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also 

reap ' — Galatians VL 6 A proverb from the Hito- 

padesha runs, as translated by Sir Edwin Arnold : — 'Look ! 
the clay drives into iron but the potter moulds the clay ; 
destiny^ to-day is master — man was master yesterday.' 
Thus we are all masters of our to-morrows,^ however 
much we are hampered to-day by the results of our yes- 
terdays." '' It is not," therefore, " what you do, but what 

1 We will make a passing allusion to the theory of metem- 
psychosis which was first originated in India and borrowed 
from the Hindus by Pythagoras in the 6th Century B. 0. 
Buddhists accepted the belief, and the Jews of the time of 
Jesus Christ universally held the doctrine under the name of 
Gilgal. * Who did sin, this man or his parents, that he is born 
blind? (John, IX. 3). If a man could be born blind for sin 
committed by himself, that sin must have been committed in a 

previous life .. Introduction to the Proceedings of the 

Convention of Religions in India 1909, Vol, IL 

2 Cf . 'Yajasafchin kel^ hota attahasa / shevatacha diea 
goda vhava // Atan nischitine pavaloii visanva / k iuntaliy& 
dhanva trishnecbi^ a // Kavatnka vate jalija vechaven / nanva 
maDgalaohen tenen gunen // Tukamhane mukti panuiL uovari/ 
atan divasa chari kheiimeliii //. In this poem Shri Tukarama 
i?Us us how he had to worry himself in order to make ttie last 
day of his life happy and how he could enjoy full peace of 
mind only whea he secured Living-freedom. This is wnat every 
body ought to do. 

4 



50 

in your feelings and your thoughts you are^'' which deter- 
mines whether you are a Wise Man [Jndni) or not [Sadru-^ 
sham chestate svasydh prakriterjndnavdnapi — B. G. ///. , 
33). Because * what you are ' depends not like your ac- 
tions and enjoyments on your Pr&rabdha alone {Svabhd- 
vastu pravartafe—B. G. V. 14) but also on your associa- 
tions in this life {Prabala jo ndhin sanskdra / to mode 
sangdnusdra / parantu pdhatdn vichdra / karmin sanskdra* 
chi pravartato // Vdmana Pandita). ' What are we, in 
fact, what is our character^' asks Monsieur Bergson in his 
Creative Evolution^ ' if not the condensation of the history 
that we have lived from our birth — nay, even before our 
birth, since we bring with us prenatal dispositions ?' 
When Christianity says to the Lord ' Thy will be done, ' 
so also Zoroastrianism calls Him in Yasna XXIX. 4, * the 
Dispenser of Justice ' and proclaims ' Howsoever He wills 
so may it befall us ' and the Koran asks the Muhammadans 
* to believe in God's absolute decree and predestination of 
both good and evil ', they all refer to this doctrine of 
Free- Will Determinism. " To eye God in all our com- 
forts" says, Hove, "and observe the smiling aspects of 
His face when He dispenses them to us ; to eye Him in 
all our afflictions and consider the paternal wisdom that 
instructs us in them, how would this increase our mercies 
and mitigate our troubles ! " The passage in the Bible 
* Ask and it shall be given unto you, 
* A ^^^^^^^ ^ knock and it shall be opened unto you, 
, „ , . , seek and you shall find ' and the common 

shaH be given. •' 

proverb ' Where there is will there is 
way ' prove that the author of this Universe is of the 
ature of the Kalpavriksha or Wishing-tree which freely 
gives all that we ask, and that we have a free-will to ask 
anything that we want. It must be borne in mind, how- 
ever, that disinterested work alone, which is most pleasing 



51 

, , to God, bears its fruit even in this life, 

Disinteresbed work .,, ^ • ^, j .1 . r 

alone fructifies ^^^hout passing through the stages of 

in this life. Kriy amana, Sanchita and Prarabdha (Vide 

Chapter IV, para.12) as the work done 

through motives has to do {Nishkdma mdtra phaladdyaka 

yd sharirin / jenen prasanna Hart karmajab andha hdri jj 

Je kdmya yatna tituke kriyamdna hoH / hovuni sanchita 

pudhen phala tydsi deft // Vdmana Pandita). " To worship 

Hari,'' says Thakur Harnath, *' or take His name is not 

amongst the preordained tasks of men— this is turning 

the screw in the opposite direction. This is the only 

means of loosening the grip of destiny/' 

6. The Rigveda, which is regarded as the right-wing 
{Dakshinah pakshah)^ tells us how at the 

^, ^?J^ ^, f.^ time of dissolution iPralaya kdla) of the 
the Dissolution __ . _ , • , i . , 

ri.u TT • « Universe, Ishvara wished to produce 
of the Universe. ' . , . x . , 

non-qumtuplication (or Involution) in the 

five-fold differentiated elements. Having drawn into their 
cause Brahma's egg and its effects of worlds, and mixed 
together the subtle organs of sense and action and the 
four internal organs and dissolved all things composed of 
the elements into their cause, the five elements, He then 
caused Prithvi to merge into Water, Water into Agni, 
Agni into V&yu, and Vayu into Ak^sha, Akasha into Ahan- 
kara, Ahankara into Mahat, Mahat into Avyakta, and 
Avyakta into Purusha in regular order. Vir^t, Hiranya- 
garbha and Ishvara being freed from vehicle of Maya, are 
absorbed into Paramtitmii. Then, neither Sat (real) nor 
Asat (unreal) is said to exist {Ndsaddsinno saddsittaddnim 
—Ndradtya Sukta Rigveda, W/129). * This dissolution is 
the death of Kosmos, after which its spirit rests in Nirvana 
•or in that for which there is neither Day nor Night. Every- 
thing then is absorbed into the original element — the Gods 
themselves, Brahm& and the rest, being said to die and dis- 



52 



appear during that long night. That of which all things are 
made, the Lord by Whom all things exist, He Who is incon- 
ceivable, without beginning, the beginning of the Universe, 
reposes, sleeping upon Shesha (the serpent of the Infinity) 
in the midst of the deep. When this Universal Spirit 
wakes, the world revives C^Dhdtd yathdpurvamakalpayaf 
— Shruti and " Sarvabhutdni Kaunteya prakritim ydnti 
Mdmikdm / kalpakshaye punastdnt kalpddau visrijdmya' 
ham " — B. G. IX. 7). There are innumerable Brahmtedas 

each containing its fourteen Lokas, its 
Innuiuerable Brah- gun, its Moon &c. and each ruled by a 
mandas bub one Brahmft. They are all resolved into 
® ^^^^* their primal elements when their Brah- 

ma's life period comes to a close. They have all been 
produced from one and the same Mulaprakriti and are dis- 
tinct from one another but all of them are pervaded and 
controlled by one Ishvara {Kvedrigvidhd viganitdnda- 
pardnucharyd vdtddhvaromavivarasya cha te mahattvam'^ 
Shri Bhdgavata). 

7. Now as the Yajurveda and Rigveda agree in the 

Advaita (Monism) at the beginning and 
The Samaveda and ^^^ ^f ^j^^ Universe respectively, so does 

^ . ^ ^, the S&maveda which is the left-wing 

Exisfcence of the .^^ ^ , . .x 1 i- 1 , 

jj . g (Uttarah pakshah) establish the same 

truth even during the period of its exist- 
ence {Sthitikdla). This knowledge is necessary because 
even after one has realized the Self, it is impossible for 
him to avoid seeing the unreal world which must continue 
to exist till the period of its dissolution. In the Chhan- 
dogya Upanishad we find that when Shvetaketu, the son of 
Uddalaka, returned to his father after having studied all 
the Vedas, the latter aked him whether he was aware of 
the instruction by which one hears what is not heard, by 
ivhich one perceives what is not perceived, by which one 



53 

knows what is not known. Shvetaketu answered in the 
negative and expressed his anxiety to know what that in- 
struction was. The father, therefore, said * My dear son 
as by one clod of clay all that is made of clay is known, 
the difference being only the name, arising from speech, 
but the truth being that all is clay-^thus my dear son is 
that instruction' {Yathd khalu saumyaikenaivamritpindena 
saw am mrinmayam vijndtam sydt / vdchdrambhanam 
vikdro ndmadheyatn mrittiketyeva satyam //). 'Here,' says 
Deussen, ' the manifold change of the one substance is 
explained as mere word-play, mere name, exactly as Par- 

menides asserts that all which men regard as real is mere 
name.* 

8. What is the cause of this illusion {Mdyd) then ? 

" The question ", Sw^mi Vivekananda 

Swami ViveMnan- ^^y^^ cc ^as been asked for the last three 

da s reply to the . u j j ^.i. i 

.. .„r, thousand years, and the only answer is, 

question *What , , -^ ^ . , , r ^ 

. ,, ^ when the world is able to formulate a 

IS the cause oi 

M%a (illusion)? logical question, we will answer it. The 
question is contradictory. Our position 
is that the Absolute has become this relative only appar- 
ently, that the unconditioned has become the conditioned 
only in May^. By the very admission of the uncondi- 
tioned, we admit that the Absolute cannot be acted upon 
by anything else. It is uncaused, which means that notk<^ 
ing outside itself can act upon it. First of all, if it is un« 
conditioned, it cannot have been acted upon by anything 
else. In the unconditioned there cannot be time, space, 
€r causation. That granted, your question will be : "What 
caused that which cannot be caused by anything to be 
changed into this ?" Your question is only possible in the 
conditioned. But you take it out of the conditioned, and 
want to ask it in the unconditioned. Only when the un- 
conditioned becomes conditioned, and space, time, and 



54 



causation come in, can the question be asked. We can 
only say ignorance makes the illusion. The question i3^ 
impossible. Nothing can have worked in the Absolute* 
There was no cause. Not that we do not know, or that 
we are ignorant ; but it is above knowledge, and cannot be 
brought down to the plane of knowledge." 

g. Although one may learn all the three Vedas by 
heart and even understand their meaning theoretically, 
yet it is declared emphatically that he would never be 

able to acquire a practical knowledge of 

Necessity of a qua- the Self without the Grace of the Pre- 

lified Preceptor, ceptor ( Achdryavdnapurusho vedeti — 

Shruti ). We find in the Muktikopanishad 
that * Persons desirous of emancipation and having deve- 
loped the four means of salvation should, with presents 
in their hands, approach a Guru full of faith, of good 
family, proficientpn Vedas, Scripture-loving, of good qua- 
lities, straightforward, intent upon the welfare of all 
beings, and an ocean of compassion.' Therefore, we are 
told in the simile that the instruction of the Guru is the 

soul of the bird {Adesha Atmd). Lastly, 
The A fc h a r V ana ^^^ Atharvana Veda, which is compared 
Veda and its use. , .,,_.. v ,. , . -i • . 

to the tail {Puchchha) of a bird is not a 

separate Veda but a mere selection of the important 
Mantras from the three Vedas. It serves as a shining 
weapon to the Perfect Yogi when he has to quote 
authorities for the purpose of solving the doubts of 
his disciples, as the tail of a bird adds to its beauty 
although it is not intended for any special use. So far 
about the knowledge of and union with the Qualityless or 
Nirguna Brahma (Impersonal God). With regard to the 
Nature and Love as well as the eternal companionship of 
the Qualities or Saguna Brahma (Personal God), the 
Vedas order such of the individual souls as are endowed 



55 



Worship of the ^^^^ mind and senses {Gopa) to worship 

Personal God and Him {Ato dharmdni dhdrayan / Vishnoh 

the Supreme karmdni pashyata //) in this life and to 

Goal of human enjoy after death His everlasting com- 

^^^®* pany in his Supreme Abode, the AnMi 

Vaikuntha ( Vishnoryat Paramam Padam ) which is 

the highest goal of human life, Shri Ramakrishna 

Paramahansa too says : ' Thus another thing is added 

to the position of the purely Advaitist philosopher viz.^ 

that it is the Personal God that can and doth give 

Brahma Jn^na.' 

10. By means of the Vedas, men like Sanaka, in the 
early times, got themselves saved through the Grace of 
the Guru (Preceptor). But as less S&,ttvika and more Rajas 
and Tamas souls like Ch&^rvaka began to take birth on 
the surface of the earth, they naturally lost all faith in 
God and His Vedas and devoted themselves entirely to the 
enjoyment of sense-objects. Then came 
The Shafcras and forward the Shastras to help mankind 
their origin. and lead them back to the path of salva- 
tion. ' The Shastras,' says Bh^rati, 
* are nothing but the Vedas, simplified, explained and 
illustrated, with the object of enabling the deteriorated 
intellect of the Iron Age man to grasp the light and the 
spirit of the store-house of Revealed Wisdom. The cere- 
monial parts of the Vedas are likewise modified and rend- 
ered easier for practice in the form of Smritis (forms of 
spiritual duties and sacrifices).' The most important of 
the Shastras are the Shaddarshanas or the Six Schools 
of Hindu Philosophy. A specific sense of the word philo- 
sopher we find first in Plato who defines 
Philosophy defined, philosophers as those who * set their 
affections in each case, on the really 
existent' (Rep V, 480) or as those who * are able 



50 



to apprehend that which is always Self-identical and 

immutable' (Rep VI. 484). According to Plato, 

therefore, a philosopher is one who apprehends the*^ 
essence or reality of things called ' Ding an sich ' by Kant 
in opposition to the man who dwells in appearances^ or 
the shows of sense called ' Erscheinung ' by Kant. 
Thus it is to be remembered that each of the Six Schools 
aimed at the real truth and drew from the common fund 
^, ^, , , , of the Vedas whatever was necessary for 

Thn Shaddarshanas . -, - i , 

or the Six Schools its own purposes but never denied the 
of Hindu Philoso- authority of the Vedas like Charvaka. 
P ^* In the same way, although it is some- 

times erroneously believed that some of these systems are 
atheistic, the late Prof. Max Muller justly says "Hindu 
philosophers recognised a Higher Power, whether they 
called it Brahman or Paramatman or Purusha.'* It was the 
denial of that reality which constituted a N^stika, a real 
heretic, one who could say of this invisible yet omnipre- 
sent Being Na asti — " He is not." If all these systems are 
studied in succession,^ they lead us to the Supreme Goal 

1 (a) The thought referred to, common to India, Plato and 
Kant, that the entire universe is only appearance and not real- 
ity, forms not only the special and most important theme 
of all philosophy, but is also the presumption and conditio 
sine qua nan of all religion. AH great religious teachers there- 
fore "whether in earlier or later times, nay even all those at the 
present day whose religion rests upon faith, are alike uncon- 
sciouly followers of Kant. — Tlie Fhiloso^hy of the Vjpanishads 
by Faul Beussen, 

(I) Philosophy has often been defined as the quest or the 
vision of the world's unity. Few persons ever challenge this 
definition. — Pragmatism ly William James, 

2 Cf. * Vijnana-Bhikshu, a philosopher of considerable 
grasp, while fully recognising the difference between the Six 
Systems of philosophy tried to discover a common truth be- 



57 



of Human Life. * In the case of Six Darshanas of outs\ 
says Swami Vivekananda, * we find they are a gradual un« 
folding of the grand principles, the music beginning in the 
soft low notes, and ending in the triumphant blast of the 
Advaita.' The Vaisheshika philosophy 
The Vaisheshika of of Kanada derives its epithet from Vish- 

Kanada. esha as a name of individual things, 

applicable therefore to atoms. The dis- 
tinguishing feature of this philosophy is the theory of Anus 
or atoms, Kanada argued that there must be very small 
invisible particles which exclude further analysis and 
which are eternal. They represent what we call the Self. 
As the Self has been proved to be eternal, Gautama, the 
author of the Ny^ya Philosophy (from Ni-into andl-to go) 
or logic says it follows that it will exist 
The Nyaya of after death, as against the materialistic 

Gautama. denial of a future life. Now, if a future 

life is unavoidable, a rational being is 

bound to make it as happy as possible. The Purva 

Mimansa or First Investigation of Jaimmi, therefore, lays 

hind them all and to point out how they can be studied to- 
gether or rather in succession and how all of them are meant 
to lead honest students into the way of Truth. Here Madhu- 
sudana says, that after the various systems have been explained 
it should be clear that there are after ail but three roads : (1) 
TheArambhavada, the theory of Atomic agglomeration; (2) The 
Parinamavada, the theory of evolution; (3) The Vivartavada, the 
theory of illusion. The first theory is that of the Tarkikas ( the 
Nyaya and Vaisheshika). The second theory is that of the 
Sankhyas and Toga Patanjalas andPasupatas. The third theory 
is that of the Brahmavadins ( Vedanta). — The Six Systems of 
Indian PMlosojphy by Prof. Max Mulhr. 

Of. Vaisheshiken avinashi tattva nirdhara/ JSTyayefi punar- 
avritti vichara / Mimansaken karmakanda vistara / kela ase // 
Sankhyen atmatva nirdhara/ Yogefi vritti shunya sakshatkS-ra/ 
sakara tituken nirakara / Vedanta guhya //. 



58 

its chief stress on works {Karman) and 
The Purva Mitn- their right performance and holds that 
ansa of Jaimini. salvation may be obtained through the v 
purification of heart which is the im- 
mediate result of necessary works, if only they are performed 
without any desire {Nishkdma) of rewards whether on earth 
or in heaven, although he recommends the optional {Sakdma) 
works prescribed by the Vedas to those who seek worldly 
happiness. The purification thus secured by the sacrifice 
of disinterested actions qualifies one for a knowledge of the 
Self which is the summum 6o/zwm of the Sankhy as. The San- 
khya Philosophy of Kapila has for its fundamental concep- 
g tion the dualism of Prakriti (Nature) and 

Purusha (Spirit or Self) who are closely 
connected together from eternity or rather appear to be so. 
Its ultimate aim is attained as soon as the Purusha re- 
cognises his entire distinctness from the Prakriti by count- 
ing forth or separating the 24 Tattvas ^ or elements of 
which the latter is composed. This justifies the name 
Sankhya given to the philosophy. But what is the use of 
this knowledge of the Self if the mind does not become 
steady by means of constant practice (Abhydsa) and dis- 
passion {Vairdgya)? The principal object of P^tanjali's 
Yoga (from Yuj=to join, meaning join- 
The Yoga of Pafcan- ing the deity or union with it) is to 
jali. explain the means of arriving at steadi- 

ness ( Sthifi). ^ " The really important 

1 Vide para, 5. 

2 Milk and water, when brought into contact, are sure to 
mix BO that the milk can never be separated again. So if the 
neophyte, thirsting after Self -improvement mixes indiscrimi- 
nately with all sorts of worldly men, he not only loses his ideals 
but his former faith, love, and enthusiasm also die away 
imperceptibly. When, however, you convert the milk inta 
butter, it no longer mixes with water, but floats over it. Simi-^ 



59 



character of the Yoga ", says Prof. Max Muller, "consists 
in its teaching that however true the Sankhya Philosophy 
may be it fails to accomplish its end without those prac- 
tical helps which the Yoga Philosophy alone supplies. The 
human mind, though fully enlightened as to its true nature, 
would soon be carried away again by the torrent of life ; 
the impressions of the senses and all the cares and troubles 
of every day life would return, if there were no means of 
making the mind as firm as a rock. Now this steadying of 
the mind, this Yoga, is what Patanjali is chiefly concerned 
with," When the Yogi, however, rises from his Samadhi^ 
(absorption or complete union with the object of medita- 
tion) which is the last step he has to practise and is in a 
state called Vyutthana in Yoga, he must necessarily see 
the world outside which is not Self and feel himself miser- 
able, Badrayana, also called Vyasa, there- 
The Ubfcara Mim- fore, comes to console him in this emer- 
ansa of Vyasa. gency with his Vedanta (end of know- 
ledge) or Uttara Mimansa (last investiga- 
tion) philosophy. As regards its fundamental doctrines, we 
are told by the author in one-half verse what has been 
taught in thousands of volumes viz., " Brahman is true, 
the world is false, the individual soul is Brahman and 
nothing else,*' What remains then which one can call 
non-Brahman ( Amrita samudrin hyd dvattdchd kothen 
kupa khanun //)? There is only one Universal Self who is 
existence, consciousness and bliss {Sat-chit'dnanda). Noth- 
ing exists here except that Self ( Neha ndndasti kinchana). 
He who knows Brahma to be such is himself Brahma 

larly, when the soul once attains Godhead, it may live in any 
company without ever being affected by its evil influenceSc 
— 8hri JRdmaJcrtshna Paramahansa. 

1 This is one of the Ashtangas ( eight parts) of Toga, 
for which see Chap. III. 4 



60 



{Brahmavit hrahmaivahhavati). He thus enjoys freedom 
not only after the death of his physical body {Mukti) but 
even when his body is alive {Jivan Mukti). And yet alas ! 
he sacrifices the Supreme Love of God {Pard Bhakti) to 
Freedom. It is true that without wishing for any worldly 
rewards he surrendered all his actions to 
The omission of the q^^ ^^^ worshipped Him with a pure 
Supreme Love of j^^^^^ ^^^ ^j^j^ devotion or Pranidhana 

God in Vedanta, .^ ., ,. irr i i - , \ 

(Lit. placmg oneself forward and mto) 
was only a means for steadying the mind or securing 
freedom and not the path to reach Him, 

II. Maharshi Vyasa was fully aware ^ of this defect 
in his system, although it was the highest^ of the six. 
Therefore, when once Shri Narada happened to go in the 
course of his rambles to his (Vyasa*s) hermitage of Badri- 
kashrama, he begged of him an explanation of Amourism^ 
or the Doctrine of Love. Narada replied * Great Sage ! 
you have come down on earth for the redemption of man- 
kind. Your present enquiry has been prompted by that 
desire alone. By your disciple, Jaimini, you have already, 
in the Purva Mimfmsa, discoursed upon the problem of 
action, and have yourself completed the inquiry into the 
problem of knowledge in the Uttara Mimans^. And now 

1 Of. iDtroduction to the Bhakti Sutras of Narada by 

.Nandlal Sinli. 

2 (a) Cf. Tavat garjanti shastrani jambuka vipine yatha/ 
na garjati mahashaktih yavadvedanta kesari // 

(h) This, the Vedanta, is indeed the principal of all 
doctrines; any other doctrine is but a complement of it, and 
therefore it alone is to be reverenced by all who wish for 
liberation, and this according to the interpretation of the 
venerable Shankara — this is the secret — Madhusudana. 

3 For this age, it is communion with God by Love,devo- 
tion and self -surrender, as practised by the Rishi Narada 
(N aradij a Bhakti),that is enjoined. — Gospel of Shri Edmahrishna. 



61 



you have taken up the problem of Love. I am going to- 

explain it. But its full explanation will be given by you 

in your Shrimad Bhagavatam which will be of the nature 

^ , of a commentary upon your Brahma^ 

The Puranas and ^^ , _, . . ^, . . r i.u t-i a 

^, . . . Sutras. This is the orio;in of the Pura- 

fcheir origin. /^ . 

nas which are eighteen^ in number and 
which sing the glories and achievements of the Personal 
God. The importance of Love or Charity, as it is called 

in the Bible is thus pointed out by St. 
^^im^Trbai^'ce Ti ^^"^ ^"^ ^^^ ^^^^^ Epistle to the Corin- 

of prophecy, and understand all myster- 
ies, and all knowledge ; and though I have all faith, so 
that I could remove mountains, and I have not Charity^, 
I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed 
the poor, and though I give my body to be burnt, and 
have not Charity, I am nothing." With 
The Avatars to be j.ggai-d to the personages mentioned in 
hTs3ctlf ^a!d ^^^ Puranas Shri R^makrishna Parama- 
. ., „ hansa remarks " Think not that Rama, 

spiritually. . xr • » t-^a n a * • 

Sit&, Shri Krishna, Radha, Arjuna, etc., 
were not historical personages, but mere allegories, or that 
the scriptures have an inner and esoteric meaning only. 
Nay, they were human beings of flesh and blood just as 
you are but because they were Divinities, their lives can 
be interpreted both historically and spiritually." The 
Bhagavata Purina says^ " The Munis, who repose in the 

1 (1) Brabiria, 2) Padma, {'6 > Vishnu, (4) Shiva, (5) 
Bhaoavata, (6) Narada, (7) Marknndeya, (8) A^ni, (9) Bha- 
vishya, (10) Brahmavaivarta, (11) Liuga, (12) Yaraha, (13) 
Skanda., (14) Vamana, (15) Kurma, (16) Mafcsja, (17) Garuda 
and (18) Brahmanda. 

2 Thus Shukadeva had bofcli transcendental knowledge 
and love for fche Lord. Hanumana realized God without Form 
and God with Form and then passed his days in meditating 



62 

Self, who have no bonds of the world, serve the Mighty 

Lord with an unselfish devotion, so great is the attractive 

excellence of Hari " {Atmdrdmascha munayo nirgranthd 

apyurukrame / kurvizntyahaitukim bhaktimitthambhuta-' 

guno Harth //). Nay, even Shuk^charya confesses that 

although he was the master of the Ve- 

The necessity of the ^^nta philosophy and he actually enjoyed 

Supreme Love of Hying-freedom, yet he was so much at- 

o even a tracted by the LilS. (achievements) of the 

the acquisition ^ t-; , /-r^ , ^ -.v , i 

of Livinff-free- Saguna Brahma (Personal God) that he 
^^^ made a special study of the Bh&gavata 

at the feet of his father Maharshi Vyasa 
{Parinishthito*pinairgunyauttamashlokaltlayd/grihitachetd 
rdjarsha dkhydnam yadadhitavdn). He taught it after- 
wards to Parikshiti (grand-son of Arjuna) who having 
heard it for only seven days obtained salvation. Many 
a soul, for several succeeding generations followed the 
example of the noble prince and reaped the same fruit. 
It may be mentioned here that all the Pur&nas unani- 
mously declare service rendered to others to be merit and 
injury done to them to be sin {Ashtddasha purdndndm 
Vydsasya vachanadvayam / paropakdrah punydya pdpdya 
parapidanam //) and thus teach the two cardinal virtues 

upon a particular Form of the Lord — the Form of Rama- 
chandra, a Form made of Spirit and Bliss Everlasting. Much 
the same was the case with Prahlad and Narada. They rea- 
lized the Absolute ; — they realized, too, the Spiritual Forms 
of the Lord from a lower plane. Prahlad realiz^^d, * I am It * 
(God the Absolute). He also realized, ' I am Thy servant, Thou 
art my Lord.' Narada passed his days in his ecstatic Love 
for the Lord. This Love solves the problem of life. — Gos;pel of 
■Shri Rdmakrishna. 

Sarvatmabhava maniia / Krishna kripenen dinayaminin / 
dridha asoni Vamanin / avadi Saguna Bhaktichi// Yathdrtha'- 
dijdkd. 



63 



of Benevolence and Justice (mere sparks of the divine 
attribute of Dharma meaning Sadayatva and Samatva) 
which consist in doing all good and no harm to others 
respectively. The modified forms of Benevolence are Pity 
or Compassion {Ahinsd) and Forgiveness {Kshamd) and 
those of Justice are Veracity or Truthfulness {Satyam) 
and Chastity (Brahmacharyam) which are said to be the 
characteristics of God-like nature {Daivi sampatti) in the 
Bhagavad-Git&. This is the basis of all Ethics and the 
key-note of the Golden Rule "Do unto others as you would 
that they should do to you ; do not to others as you would 
not that they should do to you." 

12. But as the reason or the determining faculty of 
the R^jasika and Tamasika masses was too gross to under- 
stand clearly the drift of even the Puranas, simple as they 
were, and consequently from time to time there was great 
confusion of thought everywhere, the. Personal God was 
necessitated to come down Himself as a Saviour in the 
form of Shri Rama, Shri Krishna and others and live with 
us and preach personally His secret ways for the redemp- 
tion of the world and also to send at due intervals His 
Lovers (Bhaktas) from His Supreme Abode, in the form 

, of Prophets and Saints to 2;uide us by 

The Saints and,,. , j • n , •.. 

their origin. ^^^^^ ^"^^^ advice as well as by wntmg 

commentaries and original works^ in 

different languages, which serve as bridges to cross over 

this ocean of ignorance and misery. The mere company 

of saints, moreover, creates imperceptibly, without any 

efforts, tendencies which, in due course, result in dispas- 

i sion, knowledge, love and salvation. It is for this reason 

that Shri R^madasa Sw^mi says in Dasabodha VI. 7 : 

1 The books of all the great philosophers are like so many 
men. — Pragmatism by W. James. 



64 



"If God were not to manifest Himself, then who can 

know Him ? Not even the best of us can realize Him." 

„, , ^ The sum and substance^ of all that we. 

The sum and sub- , xr i r-i -r^ 

. . n learn irom the Vedas, Shastras, Puranas 

stance of all sac- ' ' 

red teachings. ^"^ Saints is the cultivation and deve- 
lopment of the Supreme Love of the 
Personal God after Self-realization in this life and the 
enjoyment of His Eternal Bliss and Companionship after 
death in His Supreme Abode, the AnMi Vaikuntha. 
This is what Amourism teaches us. It is the path of 
Love which is called Ananya Bhakti or Blemishless 
Love in B. G. XI. 54 and which is said to enable 
the Lover to know God as Impersonal Brahman (Nirguna 
Svarupa) by pure reason, to see Him as the Universe 
{Vishva triguna) i.e. to become the Universe (Sarvdtma 
hhahtichen dridhapana — Y athdrthadipikd) 3.nd to enter into 
Him as the Personal God (Apdnipddo &c, Saguna Brahma) 
after death ( Jndtum ^ drashtuncha tattvena pravesht" 
uncha). Its four stages are : — (i) True Faith [Sachchhrad- 
dhd), (2) Perfect Resignation {Sampra' 
Amourism and its patti), (3) Universal Charity {Sadbhakti) 
four stages. and (4) Infinite Grace {Sampushti)^ ex- 

plained briefly by Shri Krishna in a single 
verse thus : — " He who does actions for Me, to whom I am 
the highest, who is My lover, who is free from all desires 
and who bears no hatred to any being, he O P^ndava (son of 
Pandu)! comes to Me*' {Matkarmkrinmatparamo Madbha- 



1 Virginia. Jiiaua tSagaua JBhakti / ani paraniH purushar- 
tha Saguna Mukti / aisi Gita Bhagavadukti / sara hakalan 
Vedaaclien // Yatkdrthadtjoihd, 

2 Kin Brabma Nirguna/ Brahmachi Ishvar a Saguna / 
Brahmachi vishva triguna/ aiseii kalela, taricha Brahma 
kalaleii// Shruti tolaii 'jNirguna Brahma' / kin 'satyamjuanani 
anantam Brahma' / aui Varvam khalvidam Brahma'/ henhi 
Shruti bolati // Yat}idrthadi;pihd, 



65 



ktah sangavarjifah / nirvairah sarvabhufeshu yah sa Mdmeti 
Pdndava // B. G. XI. 55). Here, the words ' Mat karmakriV 
(he who does actions for Me) and * Matparamo ' (to whom 
I am the highest) stand respectively for True Faith 
(Sachchhraddhd) and Perfect Resignation {Samprapatti), the 
result of which is perfect knowledge, which is expressed by 
the word * Sanga varjitah ' (who is free from all desires i.e. 
who enjoys living-freedom)- The expression ^Madbhaktah* 
(who is My Lover) represents Universal Charity {Sadbhakfi) 
or the Supreme Love of the Personal God, the effect of 
which is shown by the words * Nirvairah sarva bhuteshu * 
(who hates none). " This is the secret ", says the saint 
Tuk^r^ma, " of the worship of the universe as the body of 
the Personal God " {Kondhi jivdchd na ghado matsaraj 
varma sarveshvara pujandchen //). The words * Mdmeti * 
(he comes to Me) mean he lives with Him in His Supreme 
Abode, enjoying Infinite Gv3.cq ( Sampushti). A detailed 
description of these stages, which correspond to the 
emotion {Rasa) of a servant (Ddsya), that of a friend 
( Sakhya ), that of a parent ( Vdtsalya ) and that of a 
wife ( Mddhurya) of the Vaishnavas, so also to Nine-fold 
Love ( Navavidhd Bhakti ), Devotion of Love ( Prema 
Bhakti), Supreme Love {Pard Bhakti) and the Love of a 
river to the ocean {Gangd-Sdgara-Sangama Bhakti) of the 
Bh^gavatas, as well as to the Path of Actions ( Karma 
Yoga ), Path of Know^ledge {Jndna Yoga ), Path of Love 
{Bhakti Yoga) and Path of Grace ( Pushti Yoga ) of the 
Yogins, respectively, is given in the next four Chapters. 



CHAPTER U- 

TRUE FAITH. 

(Sachchhraddha). 



fr% TTc^f ^nr^ m ^i ^RRFmfN^i: ii 
^^[^ ft%^4 ^ %^ ^Tgqqn% % n 

**The wise fall of love worship Me, believing: tfaat I am 
the source of all and that all evolves from Me. Their minds 
fixed on Me, their breaths breathed In Me, one waking an- 
other to sense of Me, speaking always of My glories, they 
rejoice and enjoy. To these, who are ceaselessly devoted 
and who worship Me for love alone, 1 give that union of 
reason with the Self by which they attain to Me. And out 
of pure compassion for them, remaining in their hearts, 1 
destroy their darkness as well as ( the illusion ) born of 
Ignorance with the lamp of knowledge and the resplendent 
light of the Sun of Wisdom/'^-BhagavadQIta, X. 8-1 1. 

I. The Shruti {Dvdsuparnd^ sayujd sakhdyd samdnam 
vriksham parishvajdte / tayoranyah pippalam svdddh" 

1 Cf. Suparnavetau sadrishau sakhayau yadrishyaitau 
kritanidau cha vriksbe / ekastayoh svadati pippal^nam. 
anyo niranno'pi balena bhuy^a // 8kri Bhdgavata. 



68 

ttyanashnannanyo'bhichdkashitt //) says that there are two 

^ ^ birds viz., the Individual Soul {Jivdtmd ) 

Dvasuparna ^^^ ^j^^ Universal Soul ( Paramdtmd ) 

Shruti. ,. . _ . . , 

livmg on the same tree t. e. m the same 
body, w^ho are eternal friends and that one of them (the 
former ) eats the fruits of that tree ( the fruits of the good 
and evil actions done by him ) and the other (the latter) 
is a mere looker on. And yet the evil doers, the foolish 
ones, the worst of men, bereft of knowledge by illusion 

and inclined to the ways of Demons^ do 

a ag or ^^^ resort to God ( Na Mam dushkritino 
non-lovers of 
Q^ muahdh prapadyante narddhamdh / md" 

yaydpahritajndnd dsuram bhdvamdshri" 

tdh II B. G. VIL 15). Shri Ramadasa Sw^mi justly 

rebukes them by saying "You fall prostrate before the 

^ . , , great of the world. You servilely adore 

Kamadasa, , ^-i , x.rt 

Swami'8 rebuke. ^^^^^* ^"^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^- ^^^^^ ^^ 
this ? Rama is the chief of our family. 

R^ma is the great end. He is the Lord of Lords, the 
liberator of the Gods. We are his servants; by serving 

Him knowledge dawns He destroys the evil ones. 

He is the support of the virtuous. This truth is for ever. 
Man's thoughts are fulfilled. Obstacles disappear. When 
Rama favours, realization dawns. Worship of R&ma 
gives knowledge. It makes man's greatness grow etc." 
— Ddsabodha Dashaka VI, Samdsa 7- Thus the whole 
world would be saved if every one were to worship God. 

1 The Asuras were the psychics of the ancient times. 
They cultivated their mind-force in order to use it for per- 
sonal aggrandisement But those Asuras who had only 

their Tamasika (dark) mind-force developed were the lowest 
of them all. Their minds were all dark and their deeds were 
all black. Their natural inclination was to do mischief to 
people for the sake of mischief itself. These were called 
JDemonB. 



69 

But unfortunately such is not the case. Sugar is indeed 
sweet, but it gives a bitter taste to those who suffer from 
bile. In the same way, although God is kind and merci- 
ful, the sinful ( Dushkritino ) can have no love for Him 
The two class- unless their sins are washed off. These 
«8 of Abhaktas Abhaktas or non-lovers of God may be 
or non-lovers of divided into two broad classes viz,^ (i) 
^^^' Atheists [Ndstika) who deny the existence 

of God and (2) Pluralists {Anyadevatopdsaka) who worship 
other Gods. 

2. The Atheists have obviously no faith in the 

, .^, . Scriptures or the Words of God. "They 

The Atheists. ,; ^, ^, ji r-u.^ ctj • 

are , says the Bhagavad-Gita, "demonia- 
cal men who know not the path which leads to Heaven 
nor the one which leads to Freedom; nor purity, nor rule 
of life, nor is there truth of Brahma in them. They say, 
the universe is a truthless, baseless, Godless thing and 
has not risen up by the union of Nature and Spirit but 
is caused by lust and nothing else. Holding this view, 
these ruined souls of little wit, of ferocious deeds come 
forth as enemies of the world for its destruction. Surren- 
dered to insatiable desires, possessed with hypocrisy, 
pride and passion, they grasp false notions through 
delusion and engage in unholy work. Indulging in un- 
measured thoughts ending with death, aspiring but to sate 
desire, being resolved that this is all, bound by a hundred 
ties of hope, given up to anger and desire, they wish to 
gain by unjust means hoards of wealth for enjoying 
objects of desire. '*This to-day has been secured by me; 
that purpose I shall gain; this is mine already; and this 
wealth also shall be mine. This foe has been slain by me; 

^, . , the others also shall I slay; I am the lord. 

Their fate. t ^1^ • t r r / 

I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, powerful, 

happy; I am wealthy; I am of noble birth; who else is 



70 



there like me?" {Pravrittincha nivrittincha sadrisha 

mayd // B. G. XVL7-15), Such men are necessarily 
destined to go to hell {Patanti narake'shuchau). 

3. The Pluralists believe in the Scriptures but even 

when they find there that the securing of 

The Pluralists. Eternal Bliss and Companionship of God 

( Ishvara ) by His due worship ought to 

be the principal aim of human life, they adore the Lower 

Gods and engage themselves in performing the optional 

(Safeima:) duties, mentioned in the Shastras, in order to 

be able to enjoy the pleasures of Heaven ( Svarga ). As 

regards the nature of the God of Gods Whom alone all the 

religions of the world ask us to worship, Swami Vivekananda 

says, " He from whom this universe proceeds, in whom it 

rests and to whom it returns. He is Ishvara, 

Swami Viveka- ^j^^ Eternal, the Pure, the All-merciful, 

T!l ^^ j^^^r^^^T the Almighty, the Ever-free, the AU-know- 
of the God of Gods . , 2. , r tt \ t r r 

or Ishvara ^^S> ^he Teacher of all teachers, the Lord 

who of His own Nature is inexpressible 

Love." All other Gods are only His reflections {Pratt- 

bimbdkhyam — Shruti). When, therefore, Maharshi Vyasa 

and the other sages mention in the Puranas the worship of 

Agni, Yama, Vayu, and other Deities, the 

The Puranas ou ^- xi_ ^ ^i 

d th fch Shruti says that the poets give many 
Q^^ names to that which is one only and which 

ought to be the sole object of worship 
( Ekam santam bahudhd kalpayanti / ekam sadviprd bahudhd 
vadanti / Yamant Agnim Mdtarishvdnamdhuh / trinipadd 
vichakrame Vishnurgopd addbhayah^ afo dharmdni dhdra- 
yan / Vishnoh karmdni pashyata &c. / ). " What reason have 
I", we are told in Chapter XXXVI of the Al Koran, "that 
I should not worship Him who hath created me ? Shall 
I take other Gods besides Him ? If the Merciful be pleased 



71 

to afHict me, their intercession will not avail me at all, nei- 
ther can they deliver me: then should I be 
Koran teaches j^^ ^ manifest etror", and further on in 
Txmty of God. Chapter XXXIX "since it hath been spoken 
by revelation unto thee and also unto the prophets who 
have been before thee saying verily if thou join any 
partners with God thy work will be unprofitable, and 
thou shalt certainly be one of those who perish/* Zoro- 
astrianism\ too, teaches its followers to believe in one 

God, the Supreme Being, as the Creator 
Zoroasfcrianism rxUTi- jat- -kit ji 

.of the Universe, named Ahura-Mazda, 

^^^qq ^ meaning the Omniscient Lord. So also 

the Bible says in Exodus XX. 5. " But the 

true God hath this attribute, that He is a. jealous God; and 



1 0£. A Zoroastrian has no special injunction as to 
where he should recite his prayers. tJe may, if he likes, do 
so on the land or in the sea, in a house or in an open space, in 
his hall or in his bed-room, for, he is taught that Ahura- 
Mazda is omnipresent. However, the usual custom is to go to 
a fire sanctuary, if available at hand, and to pray to Ahura- 
Mazda, facing the holy fire burning there, or to go and stand 
before the roaring waves of the sea or to pray before the fire 
in the hearth, or to stand in a solitary place and pray to 
Ahura-Mazda with the face turned towards the Sun or the 
Moon. On account of this, the Anti-Zoroastrians falsely call 
the followers of the Zoroastrian faith fire-worshippers, sun* 
worshippers and so on. The Parsis, as already explained 
before, do not consider the fire, the sun, the moon and the sea 
as different gods. On the contrary, they consider them as 
mere creations of Ahura-Mazda. The object of facing these 
sublime and all-producing creations of Ahura-Mazda, while 
praying to flim, is to get the true snd proper idea of His 
majesty and presence. All these grand objects in nature 
make a Parsi admire and praise Ahura-Mazda, Who has 
created them all. The presence of these mighty creations 
awakens in his heart the emotion of veneration due to the 
Almighty. — Zoroaster and Zoroastrianism by Mistry. 



72 

The same is ^^^^^^^^^ His worship and religion will 

the view of ^^^"r^ no mixture nor partner." The 

Christianity. Pluralists too believe in God and in His 

words but over-powered, as they are, by 

wordly desires they are deprived of their knowledge by 

g , illusion ( Mdyaydpahritajndnd ). Referring 

Gita on Plura- ^^ them Shri Krishna says " Those who 
ligfcg^ are deprived of knowledge by various 

desires serve other Gods, resorting to vari- 
ous observances constrained by their own natures. What- 
ever form (of Deity) a devotee wishes to worship with faith 
to that self-same form, I render his faith steady. He 
endowed with that faith seeks the worship of such a one, 
from whom he obtains the beneficial things he desires, 
(although) it is I who give. But finite is the fruit which 
belongs to those who are small-minded. They go to the 
Gods, who worship the Gods and My lovers come unto 

Me" {Kdmaistatstairhritajndndh Madbhaktd ydnti 

Mdmapi—B. G. VII. 20-23). Even when the Pluralist 

goes to heaven in this way, he stays there for a limited 

period only and then returns to this world as he was 

( Kshine punye martyalokam vishanti — 

The result of ^ q j-^^ ^i). When the Shrutis, however, 

eir wois ip. ^^Y[ j^js residence there as eternal {Aksha- 
yam havai chdturmdsyaydjinah sukrttam hhavati) they do 
so in comparison with ours on earth, just as they call the 
Gods immortal {Amara\ because they live much longer 
than human beings. His inherent tendencies again lead 
him to do the same actions and secure the same goal. 
These actions too are not few and simple but numerous 
^.ndi stiH {Kriyd vishesha bahtcldm) and a slight error in 
performing them makes the whole trouble null and void. 

4. The Bhaktas or Lovers of God are of four kinds: — 
(i) the Dualists or Arto,(2)the Knowledge-seekers or Jijn^su, 



73 



(3) the Aspirants seeking perfection or Artharthi and (4) 
the Wise or Jnani ( Chaturvidhd bhajante 

The four kinds ^^^ j^^^^^ ^j^^ Bharatarshabha—B. G. 

of Bhaktas or yjj^ ^^^^ j^ ^^^ piuralists were to say that 
when the God of Gods gives Freedom {Mok- 
sha) alone, there ought to be no objection to worship the Low- 
er Gods also in order to secure worldly good and to avert 
evil, the reply would be that Ishvara is not 
Comparison of only able to do all that the Lower Gods 
the Power ot the ^an do but His mere contact even for 
of Gods mundane purposes enables the worshipper 

y^ ^ ^ ^ to obtain ultimately Knowledere and Free- 
liower Gods. , ...... 1, r 

dom, which it is impossible to expect from 

the other Deities at any time. "The various kinds of 

worship of the Devas", says Swami Vivekananda, "are all 

to be included in ritualistic Karma. They serve to bring 

to the worshipper some kind of celestial enjoyment but 

can neither give rise to Bhakti or intense 
Quotation devotion to God nor lead to Mukti or free- 
from Swami Vi- ^om from all bondages/' Therefore, the 
vekananda. righteous (Sukritino) alone, though duaHsts, 

weep before the true God even for material good {Arto). 
'*In their case", we are told by Mrs. Besant in her 
'Methods of Yoga\ "at last satiety begins to replace crav- 
ing, and slowly with many relapses into forthcoming, con- 
sciousness begins to turn inward and a decreasing interest 
in the Not-Self permits the growth of an increasing inter- 
est in the Self. The man enters definitely on the Nivritti 

Marga, the path of return/' The Dualistic 

The Love of Love of God is, however, the impurest of 

SuaUst'' ^ ^ ^ ^ all and is, therefore, regarded by the Vedas 

as brutal {Atha yo*nydm Devaidm updste*' 
nyo'sau anyo'ham asmiti nasa veda yathd pashtch). It 
has all the three defects of interruption (Vyavadhdna)^ 



74 

adulteration (Vyabhichdra) and condition {Nimitta). The 
last two defects are obvious because the worshippers are 
ignorant pleasure-seekers. But their love is not uninterrup- 
ted also, because through misfortune if any of their wishes 
are not fulfilled, there is every danger of a sudden break or 
rupture. Again, a question may be raised that when the 
Brahma to be realized is Impersonal {Nirguna) why should 
we worship the Personal God {Saguna 

^ , , ^^ Brahma) who too by nature is Impersonal ? 
■we worship fche _. , . , , , i 

Personal God? ^^V^V IS that as a hammer alone has 

the power to break a chain, although both 
the hammer and chain are made of iron, so has the 
Personal God alone the power to release the Individual 
Soul from the bonds of Maya (illusion) by the light of 
knowledge, even though His nature be Impersonal, For,, 
the Shruti says "He who at the beginning of creation 
projected Brahma and delivered the Vedas unto him — seek- 
ing liberation, I go for refuge unto him that effulgent One, 
whose light turns the understanding towards the Atman 
{Yo Brahmdnam vidadhdti purvant yo vat Veddnscha 
prahinoti tasmai j tarn ha Devant dtma buddhi prakdsham 
mumukshurvai sharanam aham prapadye //)." When the 
Dualist, therefore, gets disgusted of worldly pleasures and 
desires freedom, he secures by the favour of the Personal' 
God Whom he has already been worshipping {Ishvardnu^ 
grahen sddhu sangati j Rangandtht Yoga- 
The Love of vdsishtha) the company of saints^ in which 
^^\ l^^^' ^^'^^ he abandons work with motives ( Sakdma 
Karma) and begins to sacrifice disinteres- 
ted actions to the Personal God {Nishkdma Ishvardrpana) 

1. " The saints remove the sins of others by the mere 
contact of their body because Hari, the destroyer of sins, is in 
them." — Shri Bhdgavata IX 9* 6. Sardha trihasta jari Vamana 
disati te, Vishnu evayen tanuhi Devanadisati te// Bdja Yoga. 



75 

and thus becomes a knowledge-seeker or Jijnasu. In the 
remaining portion of this Second Chapter we shall deal 
with his efforts to realize God and the Third and Fourth 
Chapters will be devoted to the description of the aspi- 
rants toiling for perfection and the wise lovers respectively. 
5. Shri Shankaracharya with a view to purify the 
defective love of the Dualist ( Arto) com* 

True Faifch. menced his philosophical reform by mtro- 
ducing the element of what is called 
True Faith ( Sachchhraddhd ) in all the great religions of 
the world, and which is the same thing as the Ddsya Rasa 
( emotion of the servant to the master) of the Vaishnavas 
or theNavavidhd Bhakfi (nine-fold love of the Bh^gavatas) 
or the Karmd Yoga of the Yogins. Thus, it becomes the 
uninterrupted love of the knowledge-seeker {Jijndsu). 
His worship of the Personal God, though Dualistic, is 
accepted because he has full faith^ in the doctrine that 
the Self is God and his disinterested love enables him to 
realize the Truth {Prithaktvena—B. G. IX. 15). What is 
True Faith then ? It is a state of mind, which believes 
God to be the material as well as efficient cause of the 
universe {Aham sarvasya prabhavo Matt ah sarvam pravar- 
fate — B. G. X, 8) and gradually developes 

Its description j^^^jf j^ ^j^^ company of saints ( Bodhayan- 

jy. , n-i..^ tah^ parasparam) into a belief that the 

X 8 and 10 Individual Soul is a portion (Ansha) or 

reflection ( Pratibimha ) of Him and is 

thus necessarily actionless, and worships Him ( Bhajante 

1 Advaita hen JSTigamaaiddha kharen tathapi/ nahin mala 
anubhava svasukhasvarupin // To Ishvara maja ghado mhana-- 
vuni Deva / jijnasu sevila tayasa phalela seva // Brahmastuti, 

2 Cf. Aisi prathama charanifi Hari / bole tyancha 
bhajanaritichi vaikhari / bbajana varnilefi aisen pari / satsan- 
genvina ten asadhya // Yathdrthadzpzkd, 



76 



Mdm ) with Love ( Pritipurvakam ) and without any 
worldly desire ( Sannydsa or abandoning work with 
motives-B. G. XVIII. 2 ) by the hearing of the Scrip- 
tures ( Shravanam ), by the repetition of His charming 
names and glories {Kathayantascha Mdm ) and by 
representing ( ' Ramanticha' — B, G. X. 9 and * Karmdnya- 
bhinayan Mama' — Shri Bhdgavata ) dramatically or by 
gesticulations the wonderful deeds performed by the Lord 
in His incarnations, and lastly rejoices ( Ttishyanticha ) in 
dedicating everything to Him ( Tydga or Nishkdma Ishva- 
rdrpana-B. G. XVIII. 2). '' The safe-guard of Faith", says 

^ ^ , , Newman, ** is a right state of mind. This 

Safe-guard of . . , . . f. , ^ , ^. . ,. 

ip^.j.jj it IS that gives it birth. It also disciplines 

it. This is what protects it from bigotry, 
credulity and fanaticism. '* Shri Krishna tells us in Shri 

Bhdgavata — IH. 25. 24, "The association 

Quofcafcions ^j^j^ ^^^ another of good men gives rise 

rom ri aga- ^^ ^^jj^^ about Me wherein occur narrations 

of My powerful deeds which are a soothing 
balm to their ears. Their hearing begets in them True 
Faith, Attachment and Love successively all leading 
in the path of Freedom,'* and Prabuddha in XL 3. 28, " One 
should learn to consign all desirable objects, all gifts of 
charity, penances, silent repetition of Divine Mantras, 
good deeds and also that which is dear to oneself — wife, 
children, houses, even life— to God." Thus, if we have to 

give the meaning of True Faith in one 
Essence of ,^q^^^ it is the sacrifice of disinterested 

^ " .,. ^ actions to God ( Nishkdma Ishvardrpana) 

Sacrifice. . , - .,/r>, ^.\ 

in the company of saints ( Satsangatt ). 

Sacrifice, however, is complete Sannyasa as well as com- 
plete Tyaga ( 'Naishkarmyasiddhim paramdm sannydsen- 
udhigachchhatV—B. G. XVIII. 49 and * Tydgenaikenamri- 
dattvamdnashuh*—Shmti), for both the terms are identical 



77 



and include what may be called simple Sawwy^sa (renuncia- 
tion) which is its.first part, viz.^ Kdmya tydga or renouncing 
of actions done with motives and simple Tydga (abstention), 
which is its second part, viz»^ ^Sarvakarma phalatydga* or 
abstaining from the fruits of disinterested actions {Kdmyd- 
ndm karmandm nydsam...prdhustydgam vichakshandh — B.G, 
XVIIL 2). Here a question arises that if man is not the 
doer of actions how do actions take place at all ? The 
reply is, they take place naturally according to the inherent 
tendencies of previous lives ( Svabhdvastu pravartate — 
B.G. V. 14). When the Shruti says that God causes them 
alone to do pious deeds whom He wishes to take to 
heaven and makes such persons only to commit sin as He 
intends to condemn to hell, it means He is in the position 
of the sun who guides the foot-steps of both those who 
follow the right path as well as of those who follow the 
wrong one. Therefore, the five different parts of Nature 
which produce actions according to the Bhagavad- 
Gita are: — ( i ) the Body ( Adhishthdnam ), ( 2 ) Egoism 
(Kartd)j (3) the various organs of sense and perception 
{Karanancha prithakvidham)^ (4) the different kinds of 
movements of the vital breaths {Vividhdscha ptithak 

cheshtd ) and (5) the presiding Deities or 
doer of actions?^ destiny {Daivam). Shri Krishna therefore, 

tells in B. G. XVIII. 26 that a knowledge- 
seeker (/tjwtlsw) ought to cast off not only optional duties 
{Sakdma karma) but also attachment to Karma ( Mukfa 
sanga) and should never talk that he is the doer of actions 
( Anahamvddi ) although he has not re- 
rig ac or. g^^j^^^j j-h^ Self. He must have the moral 
courage to resist the temptation of the alluring fruits 
attached to optional work in the Vedas and the ardent 
zeal to perform disinterestedly all the necessary duties 
which fall to his lot { Dhrityutsdhasamanvitah). Lastly,, 



78 



whether the action, which he has commenced, meets with 
success or failure, he should remain unchanged ( Siddhya- 
siddhyornirvikdrah). A similar advice is given in Mrs. 
Besant's ^Discrimination and Sacrifice.* *' Perform the 
duties that come in your way, and are imposed on you by 
Karma, individual, family, social, national, for, these are 
placed there for you by the Lord. A right actor does not 
go rushing about seeking for activities; betakes the acti- 
vity that comes naturally in his way, and strives to per- 
form it perfectly, remembering in every function that he 
is the Lord in action, and is not truly the doer of action." 
6. What are the different duties prescribed by the 
Scriptures ? They are of two kinds, viz.^ 

u les are. ) necessary ( Avashyaka ) and optional 
Jsecessary and ^ \ *, , mt 

.(2) Optional {Sakdma). The optional are to be entirely 

avoided by those who wish to realize the 
Self just as forbidden actions {Nishiddha karma) are to be 
avoided by all. The necessary duties are those which 
must be observed by every one. They may be divided 
into three classes, viz., (i) Religious or Vaidika, (2) 
Social or Laukika and {^) Natural or Sv^bhavika, all of 
which may be summed up in Love of God, Love of man 

Necessary du- ^^^ Love of what we regard as ourselves 
ties are: (1) respectively. They are expressed by the 
Heligious, (2) terms ^Shdstrarakshanam' (sacred laws). 
Social and (3) Na. ^Lokah' (social customs and usages) and 
fcural or Personal. *Bhojanddi vydpdra' (occupation of eating 
&c. ) in the Bhakti Sutras ol N^rada. When Christ was 
once asked to pronounce which Commandment in the 
Law was the greatest. He is said to have answered "by 
quoting a sentence from the Pentateuch 

The greatest ^^ ^^^j^j^ devoted love to God and Man is ' 

CommaDdmentin , , ... . _ ,. . 

^, . . .^ solemnly eniomed upon the Israelite and 

^Chrifitianiby. , i , • , . ^ 

by declarmg that upon this Command- 



• 79 

ment the whole Mosaic and Prophetic legislation depend- 
ed.** With regard to the Natural duties or Personal as 
Newman^ calls them, he says that the virtue of self-denial 
is enforced by Christianity upon us. The Religious 
Duties, enjoined by the Scriptures, are sub-divided into 
what are called (i) Daily {Nitya) such as morning and 

evening prayers {Sandhyd^ vandanam)^ 

e Jgious u- , . Periodical INaimittika) such as anni- 

ties are: (1) Daily ' . ^ , 

and (2) Periodi- versanes, atonements and penances, 

^^] ShrMdha Tarpana, Graha Sh^nti and 

PrS^yaschitta. These are to be performed 
with perfect faith in God {Yogasthah kuru karmdni — B. G. 
11.48) and offered to Him as sacrifice as the very for- 
mulas ( ^Updttadurita kshayadvdra shri Parameshvara 
prityartham' and ^Omtatsat Brahmdrpanamastu') to be 
repeated at the beginning and end of each prayer or 
ceremony show. As for the worship of the household 
Deities, family Gods and others, Thakur Haranath asks^ us 

1 Duties are often divided into religious, relative, and 
personal; the characteristic excellence in each of those 
departments of virtue being respectively Faith, Benevolence 
and Justice, and Temperance. — Newman's Sermons, 

2 "So we should perform Sandbya Vandanam ( rites ). 
The Sandbya Vandana performed by Dhyaua requires no 
water. It gives no trouble to the body or the speech." — 
BrahmopanisTiad. 

3 The SbSstras say: — *Adore all deities but have 
little else to do with them. Pray to each to inspire you with 
devotional emotion for Shri Krishna.' All the ladies of 
Braja prayed hard to goddess Kattyayani (Durg&) and the 
universal mother was gratified, and granted their prayer to 
have Shri Krishna as their Lord. It is not at all necessary 
that a married girl should regard her parents as enemies 

i Retain your present practice and form of worship entire, 
1/^ but yonr heart must long for the Supreme Lord. You will 
* then not only enjoy the regard of your mother and father (Kali 

and Siva ) but secure the afiection of the Lord." — Vjpade^ 

shdmrita. 



80 

to retain our usual practice and form of worship entire, 
but he wants our heart to long for the Supreme Lord 
alone. With regard to our social duties, the key is given 
in the 20th verse :of Chapter X of the Bhagavad-Gita, 
which says "I am, O Gudakesha (Lord of Sleep) !, the Self 
enshrined in the hearts of all beings" (Ahamdtmd Gudd- 
kesha sarvabhutdshyasthitah). *The great Commandment 
of the Law is", therefore, "to Love God with all your 

„. , heart and your neighbour as yourself, and 

Virtues of,, . j. ^^. ^ •,. ^ 

the maxim for practice correspondmg to 
Benevolence and ^, . , r r ^' • ^ , 

Justice this law of feeling IS 'Do unto others as 

you would that they should do to 
you*'. This establishes the two great virtues of 
Benevolence and Justice included in the golden 
rule^ of doing all good and no harm to others. The same 
is also the substance of the eighteen Puranas which say 
'Benevolence is merit and injury (Lat» 
The Golden {^j^j,{^ o^ injustice) to others is sin' 
(Paropakdrahpunydyapdpdyaparapidanam). 
The principle underlying our natural or personal duties is 
that we should take care of our body or person as a sailor 
would of his ship, because it helps us in 
Natural or crossing this ocean of grief. The virtue 
Personal Duties, ^hich enables US to perform them satis- 
factorily is Temperance^ or Moderation. We are, there* 
fore, asked in the 17th Verse of Chapter VI of the Bhaga- 

1 "In daily life this (love) means two things ; 1st that 
yon shall be careful to do no hurt to any living thing ; 2nd that 
yon shall always be watching for an opportunity to help". — At 
the feet of the Master, 

2 "The foundation of piety is continence but the summit 
of piety is the love of God." — Select Sentences of Sextus the 
Pythagorean. 



81 

vad-Git& to be moderate in food and exercise we take, i^ 
the actions we perform and in sleeping or 
The virtue of wakefulness. The most celebrated Mara- 
Temperance. ^^^ p^^^ ^^^ Philosopher, Tuk^rama 

Maharaja, gives us all the three necessary or obligatory 
duties and their benign result when offered to God in one 
simple sentence thus: — 'Moderation in food, honest deal- 
ings, and dispassion is the substance of all that is required 
for salvation' (Yuktichd dhdra, nitichd vyavahdra j vairdgya 
ten sdra tardvayd//). It is the nature of action, however, 
whether good or bad, disinterested or self- 

^ , ^ ■ ish, to fetter (Karmand baddhyate jantuh-^ 

tions to fefcfcer. ^.^ • .. -^ • ^u ^ c • 

Smrttt) just as it is the nature of poison to 

kill. Disinterested actions would, therefore, take you to 

the abode of the deceased dincQstoxs^ {Karmand pitrilokah-^ 

Shruti) as they are themselves unable to prevent the cycle 

of births and deaths. But as even the most deadly poisons 

put into the hands of a skilled physician 
Sacrifice secu- i i . i-r ^i 

are able to save life, so the very actions, 
res immortality. 

which are the harbingers of death, offered 

as sacrifice to the Personal God are able to secure immor- 
tality ( Yajndrthdt karmano'nyatra loko'yam karmaban* 
dhanah — B. G. III. P), The part, which the offering of 
disinterested actions to God plays in this machinery of 
Karma (action), is that it purifies the mind 
It destroys a ^^^ destroys the gold shackles of the 

por ion o impressions of merit called ^Kriyamdna' 
Kriyamana and , • t , i ., • i 

urifies mind which they leave on the mmd or reason 

{Brahmanyddhdya karmdni sangam tyaktvd 
karoti yah / lipyate na sa pdpena padmapatramivdmbhasd / / 
Kdyena manasd buddhyd kevalairindriyairapi / Yoginah 
karma kurvanii sangam tyaktvdtmashuddhaye // B. G. V. 
10-17), and. which, if one dies without the knowledge of the 
Self, are added to the impressions of the previous lives 
6 



82 



stored in the reason and known by the name of ^Sanchita' 

out of which ^Prdrabdha* or provision for each life at a 

v»,i K • ^i"^6 ^s made. The iron shackles of sin of 

' the rest of the Kriyamana, caused by the 

yam&Da and San- m j i 

^y^^ actions not offered to or not accepted by 

God, because they are optional ( Sakdma ) 
or forbidden ( Nishiddha ), and the whole burden of the 
Sanchita, which consists of merit and sin {Sukrita dushkrita) 
Resb of Kriya- are both annulled by the miraculous 
in&naand whole power of Divine Knowledge. Prarabdha, 
Sanchita destroy- of course, must be exhausted by enjoyment 
ed by Divine alone ( Prdrabdha sare bhogen / sanchita 
.Knowledge. j^i^ chittachaitanya yogen / karmahetu pra- 

kritiviyogen / sdkshi hotdn buddhisa lepa na Idge kriyamd- 
ndchd II Yathdrthadipikd). 

7. ThuSi Ttue Fsiith { Sachchhraddhd) is practically 

the Dasya Rasa (emotion of the servant to 

Sacrifice i8 also ^^^ master) of the Vaishnavas or the 

e ecr Navavidha Bhakti ( nine-fold love ) of the 

D&sya Rasa and - _. ^^ ,. 

Tsj o XT ; ri >. * Bhagavatas, for, says Vamana Pandita, 
g]j^^iji * The secret of service is the sacrifice of 

all actions to God, which is also the first 
principle of the Bhagavata religion ( Ddsydchen Mdzyd 
henchi varma / kin Maja arpi sarva karma / tnukhya pra- 
thanta Bhagavata Dharma / sarva karma samrpana Maja- 
Idginll). It is for this reason that in the Bhagavad-GitV 

1 To those who urge that we don't find moral instruction 
in the Bhagavad-Gita, the late Mr. Brooks says " Suffice it to 
point out here that this whole passage III. 37-43 (and verse 
III. 34, above, as well ) states definitely in unmistakable, 
unarguable terms that desire, anger, selfish impulse in all its 
forms, is the enemy against whom Shri Krishna calls Arjuna 
to arms. If this is not moral instruction, and of the broadest, 
clearest, best, we may as well give up trying what is. — Kurw 
Jcshetra by F. T. Brooks. 



83 



which may safely be called the Bible of the world, 
Shri Krishna gives Arjuna the following general advice in 
Chapter IX. 27 for securing the love of God. " Whatever 
you do, whatever you eat, whatever you sacrifice, whatever 
you give, whatever penance you perform,© 

TTmltk^f '^of K^^^^^y^ (s^" ^f Kunti) !, do that as an of- 

. . .1 feriner to Me" ( Yatkaroshi yadashndsi 

eervaDb to the ^ / x -i-i • • 1 

^ ^gj. tatkurushva Madarpanam ). 1 his is exactly 

what Vamana Pandita means by Bhagavad- 
dasya ( Sukrita vaidika laukika Pdndavd / Maja samarpuni 
tun kari tdndavd // Karisi homisi bhakshisi desi re / Maja 
tnadhenjcha samarpita ten shire // ). Similarly, in Shri 
Bhagavata this disinterested offering to the Supreme Be- 
ing ( Ndrdyana ) of all the actions that we do with our 
body, words, mind, or by the force of the inherent tenden- 
cies of previous lives (Kdyena vdchd manasendriyairvd bud- 
dhydtmandvd'nusritasvabhdvdt / karoti yadyatsakalam 
parasmai Ndrdyandyeti samarpayettat ), during the 
twenty-four hours of day and night, is regarded as the 
highest service we can render to Him who is ever content 
with His own Bliss and who has no body, no senses and 
therefore no desire whatever ( Nitya triptah ). Thus, even 

the nine modes of worship vts., (i) Listen- 

^, , ^. ^ ^^. ^ ing to talks and songs about the Lord, (2) 
Bhakti or Nine- „.^ . ^ _.. .^ , , ^ i. . 

fold Love. Ringing of His praises, (3) Remembering 

His names and glories, (4) Service at His 
feet, (5) Adoration, (6) Salutation, (7) Servitude, (8) Friend- 
ship and (9) Self-dedication ( Shravanam kirtanam Vishnoh 
"smaranant pddasevanam j archanatn vandanam ddsyant 
sakhyamdtmanivedanam // Iti punsdrpita Vishnorbhaktt^ 
schennavalakshand / kriyate Bhagavachchhraddhd tan- 
many e* dhitamutt amain I D recommended there, are so many 
means to be practised by the Lovers of God for the purpose 
of offering them as sacrifice to Him. Both the D^sya 



84 



Rasa and the Navavidh^ Bhakti originate in Faith and 

develop Faith. For, when the knowledge- 

i. i.i-^^T^-' ^"^^ ^ seeker calls himself a servant of God 

both Dasya Kasa .^r., r^ xi-i . 11 c 

^ TVT ,31.^ ( ytshnu Ddsa ), his love is not the love or 

and Navavidhfi _. ^ 

gjj^^j^i an ordinary servant working only for 

wages but it is the love of a most faithful 
servant working disinterestedly like Hanumana, who loves 
his master with all his heart and souL "Ramachandra,^ 
God incarnate'', says Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, 
" worked hard to throw a bridge over that part of the sea 
which separates Ceylon from the main-land of India,. 
But as if to prove to the world the majesty, the omnipo- 
tence of Faith, He gave it to His devotee the great Hanu- 
m&na to cross the ocean by the unaided power of Faith,"^ 
The word ^servantine' may be coined, for want of a 
suitable adjective, to express this kind of Emotion. 
In the same way, the love of the knowledge-seeker, who per- 
forms the nine-fold duty of a Bhagavata, is not the love of a 
Pluralist or worshipper of other Gods, based on worldly mo- 
tives, but it is the love of the worshipper of the God of Gods 
entertained solely for the purpose of Self-realization, which 
he implicitly believes is in His gift alone. Therefore, both 
the Bhagavad-Gita, and Shri Bhagavata declare unequivo- 
cally the necessity of Faith in the case of the know- 
ledge-seeker {Jijndsu ) by saying ' one who is full of faith 
obtains knowledge* {Shraddhdvdllabhate jndnam — B. G. IV^ 
39) and *'these sullied hearts of RS-jasa and Tamasa men as 
well as of those of impure Sattva are not as much purified 
by means of learning, charity, asceticism and religious 
practices as by the Firm Faith produced by their ears 
being filled with the praises of Thy Glory, O wor- 
shipful Lord !, in the company of saints " ( Shuddhir- 
nrindm na tu tathedya durdshaydndm vidydshrtitddhyaya^ 
naddnatapahkriydhhih / sattvdtmandmrishabha te yashasi 



85 



pravriddhdsachchhraddhayd shravanasambhritayd yathd 
sydt I J ). 

8. What else then can be the Karma Yoga of the Yo- 

gins, especially when ' Karma ' or action is 

^^DefiDitioD of nothing but that which pleases God (Tat 

arma y a- f^^Yma Haritosham ) as defined by Narada 

in Shri Bhagavata IV. 29. 49 and 'Yoga^* 
means the ' Worship of God ' in 'Yoga sannyasta karma- 
nam' — B. G. IV. 41 ? Nay, Yoga is the very heart which 
always thinks of God and worships Him in every thing 
( Manin Ishvardche charana / sarva bhdven tydsa sharana / 
aisen jen antahkarana / Yoga mhandven taydld //), as ex- 
^ ,. .,. ^ plained by Vamana Pandita in Yathartha- 
*Yo2a' b Va- ^iipika. ' Karma^ Yoga or the path of 
manaPandiba. action, therefore, means '' Nishkdma Ish- 

vardrpana*' or disinterested sacrifice to 
God {Karmayogdchen lakshana/dona adhydya Kamalekshana/ 
bolild kin Nishkdma Ishvardrpana / tochi Karma Yoga I J 
Yathdrthadipikd). The following passages from Swami 
Vivekananda's works, Babu Rabindranath Tagore's Gitan- 
jali and the Light of the Avesta and the Gathas give us a 
clear idea of what ' Karma Yoga ' really is : — ( i ) " The 
word ' Karma ' is derived from the Sanskrit ' Kri * to 

do ; everything that is done is Karma. 

Technically, the word has the meaning of 

the effects of actions. But in Karma 

Yoga we have simply to do with the word 

1 ' Yoga sannyasta karma' mhanije / yogin samarpi 
karmavrinda karisi jen jen / tevhan *yoga' shabden ghetalen 
pahije Ishvararadhana // YathdrthadzpiJcd, 

2 Thus, not being motived by Karmaphala or personal 
gain, acting without Sanga ^. e., impersonally — such is the nega- 
tive definition of Karma Yoga. But the elimination of wrong 
motives is not enough. Negative precept is broomstick 
morality at best — ht but to clear the way for something posi- 
tive. That something positive is Sacrifice, — Gospel of Life. Vol, I. 



Swami Viveka- 
^anda on Karma 
Yoga. 



86 



* Karma ' as meaning work. It (work) is a part of nature's 
foundation and goes on always. Our goal in life is free- 
dom, through unselfishness. And according to Karma Yoga 
that goal is to be reached by means of work. The Karma 
Yogin asks us therefore not to have any motives to work, 
other than the inborn love of freedom and tells us more- 
over to be beyond the common wordly motives. ' To 
work you have the right, but not to the fruits thereof — 
thus says the Karma Yogin, and man can train himself to 
practise that always. For, he who does good work in 
order to get to heaven even binds himself down; and work 
done with any the least selfish motive, instead of making 
us free, forges one more chain for our feet — so says the 
Karma Yogin. Thus, the only way for us is to give up all 
the fruits of work and to be unattached to them. Know that 
this world is not we, nor are we this world; that we are 
really not the body and that we really do not work. For, 
we are the Self, eternally at rest and at peace". — Swdmi 
Vivekdnanda, 

(2) "I had gone a-begging from door to door in the 
, , village path, when Thy golden chariot 

, appeared m the distance like a gorgeous 

^ ^ dream and I wondered who was this king 

Karma Yoga. ^ 

of all kings ! 

My hopes rose high and methought my evil days were 
at an end, and I stood waiting for alms to be given unasked 
and for wealth scattered on all sides in the dust. 

The chariot stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell 
on me and Thou camest down with a smile, I felt that 
the luck of my life had come at last. Then of a sudden 
Thou didst hold out Thy right hand and say 'what hast 
thou to give to Me ? ' 

Ah, what a kingly jest was it to open Thy palm to a 
beggar to beg ! I was confused and stood undecided, and 



87 

then from my wallet I slowly took out the least little graia 
of corn and gave it to Thee. 

But how great my surprise when at the day's end I 
emptied my bag on the floor to find a least grain of gold 
among the poor heap. I bitterly wept and wished that I 
had the heart to give Thee my 3,l\:'—Gitanjali No. 50. 

(3) "Zarthushtra sacrifices the soul of his body and 
the excellence of pure mind for the sake of Ahurmazda^ 
For the sake of righteousness he also sacrifices the autho- 
rity ( reward ) of ( good ) actions and even the ( reward of ) 
obedience to the behests of religion."— Yaswa XXVIII. 
Commentary: — "Here is glorious heroism, that invites 

^ ,^ imitation. When the whole being and all 

Karma Yoga , , , , r • 1 1 ^ 

and Zoroasbri- ^^® 8^°^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^"^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ 
j^nigjjj the feet of Mazda, the sacrifice is complete, 

and the way is swiftly crossed. It appears 
obvious that good actions have a value, like any currency 
that we have in precious metals. A large number of good 
deeds, then, is equivalent to wealth on earth and a means 
bf wielding authority, on high planes. Obedience to the 
injunctions of Religion (Devotion) must be included in the 
category of meritorious deeds. All the authority available 
through them, has to be sacrificed for the sake of obtain- 
ing true righteousness. Work then never for the fruit of 
actions, but because it is a loving duty of yours to do so. 
Renounce all rewards of conduct and let the Lord use 
them, as current coin, in the way that He deems most 
acceptable to Himself. Thus alone by voluntary gift, can 
man deprive himself of his claim on Nature for a full 
recompense, which otherwise is placed at his disposal ia 
the fullness of time." 

"All deeds, words and prayers bestowing immortality, 
righteousness, authority and happiness, I first dedicate to 
Thee, O Ahm^:*—Yasna XXXIV. Commentary:— "This 



88 



para is pierced by the golden thread that runs through the 
concluding passages of the last Ha. We have seen that 
sublime knowledge, pure acts, and speech and heart-felt 
prayers offered as ordained, entitle one to certain rewards. 
This para refers to the dedication of all such merit-earning 
acts, speech and prayers to Ahura/' — Light of the Avestd 
x^nd the Gdthds. 

g. Thus, True Faith, D^sya Rasa, Navavidhft Bhakti 
and Karma Yoga are all one and the same. Their essence 
is sacrifice^ ( Ndradastu tadarpitakhila cha rata ), because 
it alone begets disinterested Love of God {Jo ina karma 
niko kare / taje kdma dsakti // Sakala samarpe Ishvarahi 

tabahi upaje Bhakti// Sundaraddsa). *Sacri- 
^ Sacrifice is^a g^^,^ therefore, says Mrs. Besant, 'is a cent- 

^!",^,^ ,. ^° ^°^ ral teaching of all great relieions.' Its 
of all religions. rr • . , ; , i 

enect is so quick and so wholesome that 

on the very day on which the Jijn&su begins to dedicate 

all disinterested actions as sacrifice to God, his name is 

registered in the list of those who are in due course to be 

favoured with His Grace {Evam sarva karmen Majald /jyd 

divasd pdsuna arpun Idgald / tydcha divasd pdsuna sankalpa 

umoghad Mdzd jhdld/ kin moksha dydvdcha dtdn Mi ydten // 

Yathdrthadipikd)* Nay, He destroys, the very moment the 

Jijn^su's name is enlisted, all his bonds and causes him 

only to perform such worship of Him as He desires for the 

perfect purification of his heart ( Ddsya Tuzen maja di- 

dhalen te kshanin, bandha asheshahi Tvdn harile / Vdmana 

sddhana yd upardntika, hetu tart Tuze puravile // ). This 

sacrifice or SMtvika abstention as it is also 

Also called called ( Kdryamityeva yatkarma niyatam 

Sattvika absten- kriyate'rjuna / sangam tyaktvd phalam 

chaiva sa tydgah sdttviko matah // J5. G. 
XVIII. 9 ), if properly understood, is what is referred to in 

1 Shri Yasudevakhya samarpanam — Shrutz. 



89 



the Divine warning about the forbidden fruit in the Bible, 
the neglect of which, we are told, has brought upon man- 
kind all sorts of miseries including death. Sacrifice arises 
out of action, as there can be no sacrifice without an 

action. Sacrifice ( from Latin Sacer= 
of Sacdfice.^^^ sacred and Facio^ make) is literally that 

which makes action sacred i, e., that which 
enables one to avoid the evil results of action viz.^ 
bondage (Karma bandhana). Sacrifice, therefore, consists 
in the conviction that all actions are wrought by the quali- 
ties of nature and that the seeming actor is not the real 
doer ( Ndham kartd sarvam etad Brahmaiva kurute tathd / 
etad Brahmdrpanam proktam Rishibhistattvadarshibhih //)f 
and in having no other desire than knowledge or the Love 
of God ( Ndradastu loka veda vydpdra nydsah i. e.j on the 
contrary inhibition of desires means the consecration of 
all customary and spiritual observances to the Supreme ). 
When such a sacrifice begets disinterested Love of God 
{Bhakti), the knowledge-seeker {Jijndsu) indulges in 
hearing and singing His names^ and glories ( Ishvardrd' 
dhana ) in the company of saints, the securing of 
which is the result of the Faith of the penitent dualist 



Tajnarthat ....muktasangah samachara — 

JB. G. III. 9. 

Naishkarrayampyachyutabhavavarjitam na shobhate jnana- 
malam niranjanam / kutah pucah sashvadabliadratnislivare 
na cbarpitam karma yadapyakaranam // Shri Bhdgavata, 

Devachiya chMe / Deva dyaven jen jen ghade// Tuhdrdma 
Maharaja. 

1 PalasLi Tun tari nama kothen neshi / amhin aharnishin 
nama ghoknn // Amhapasoniyan jatan naye Tuja / ten hen 
varma bija nama japun // Deva amhan Tuzen nama bo pahije/ 
anaga bheti sahaje denen lage // Bhole bhakta amhin chukale- 
<5hi karma / s^mpadalen varma Ramad^sa // 



90 



( Mdganen ten eka henchi dhe dtdn / ndma 
When sacrifice mukhin santa sanga dein // Tukd mhane 
God^^^( Bhakfci°)* ^^^^ varapdnga Devd / ghydvi Mdzi sevd 
hearing and sing- bhdve shuddha // ), *If any man has the 
ing His names Grace to feel Shraddha (faith)*, says 
Sny"" ofsaiTbs ^^^^ Chaitanya, 'he consorts with pious 
( Ishvararadhana) i^en from which companionship result 
follows. the hearing and chanting of Krishna's 

name/ For the same reason, we are 
advised in the Gospel of Shri R^makrishna that * we 
must chant without ceasing the name of God and his 
great attributes, and we ought always to seek the com- 
pany of holy men', and we are recom- 
from'^th? l"" ° ' mended by the Saint Kabira the service .of 
* T J- cT.^^. ^ the saints as well as of God, because the 

of Indian Sainfcs. - , , r ^ , 

former make us repeat the name of God 
and the latter is the giver of freedom {Kabira sevd do bhali / 
eka santa eka Rdma I I Rdma hai ddtd muktikd / santa japdve 
ndma // ). We also find in Al Koran Chapter VII *God 
hath most excellent Names: therefore call on Him by the 
Names'. Even in the Bible we are told as follows: — (i) 
*Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of 
God', (2) 'O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His 
name: make known his deeds among people. Sing unto 

Him; sing psalms unto Him; talk ye of all 
Quotations jjj^ ^Q^drous works- Glory ye in His 

^^T.i t.., ?^^^ holy name; let the heart of them rejoice 
and the Bible 

that seek the Lord'. The prohibition in 

Exodus XX. 7 *Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 

Thy God in vain', refers only to swearing and cursing by 

the name of God. The importance of the repetition 

(Japa^) of the name of God may be gathered from the fact 

1 Japa is repeating the Holy Name; through this the 
devotees rise to the Infinite. — Swdmi Vivehdnanda. 



91 



that it is regarded as one of His emanations {Vibhuti) m 
the Bhagavad-Gita ( Yajndndm japa yajnosmi )• "It [Japa) 
is of two kinds — the spoken and the mental. The mental 
is associated with contemplation by the mind. The 

spoken is of two kinds — the loud and the 

Imporfcance of j^^^ jj^^ ^ond pronunciation gives the 

taking the name ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ ^j^ ^^^ VQd3.s), (while) 

of God, / . X t 1 J 

the low one (gives) a reward thousand 

times (that), the mental (gives) a reward a crore (of times 
that).' 'The repetition of the names of God', says the 
Saint Tuk^r^ma, 'is an easy means for the destruction of 
the sins of past lives' {Ndma sankirtana sddhana pain 
sopen I jalatila pdpen janmdntaren jj ), Such is the opinion 
of all the other saints^ because it has the authority 
of the Vedas. It is stated in the Vishnu Purina 
also that the singing of God's name is the best- 
means for the dissolution of the various sins as fire 
is the best dissolver of metals. By keeping the company 
of saints and by faithfully studying the Sh&stras, one may 
resolve not to do any wrong act but, in spite of this, the 
inherent tendenecies of his past lives are apt to lead him 
to commit sins against his will {Buddhih karmdnusdrini). 
The repetition of the names of God will, however, wash 
them off and render his mind perfectly pure {Na karuH 
pdtaka nishchaya hd ghade^ mana tathdpihi pdpa pathin 
pade j jari dhari Harindmaka vitta hen, ashubhahi shubha 



1. Vedinjo Harikirtanifioha mahima kela ase adaren / 
kothense tari Vishnusukta avagheii shodhoai paha baren // 
Tjamadhyencha tritija vargahi ^bhavamitro' ase to maba/ 
tjachihi tisari viohk 'fcava tamustot^ra' namen paha //. The 
Rich4 referred to is: 'Tamustautarah purvjam jath^vida 
ritasya garbham janusba pipartana / asya jananto nama 
chidvivaktana mahaste Vishno sumatim bhajamahe // 3 //' 
(Rig. Sam.). 



92 



Jioila chitta hen // Ndmasudhd). The wonderful power of 
the repetition of God's name and glory may also be 
gathered from the following quotation from the Life of 
Lord Gauranga:— *'At one time, when the Bhaktas 
(davotees) complained of very great heat, the Lord sug- 
gested Krishnakirtana (hymns about Krishna) as a remedy ! 
One may question the efficacy of Krishna-kirtana as a 
remedy for the heat of June. The reply, 
na- ir ana however, is this. When a man is under 

as a remedy for ra- *.- i ^ i - -j. t 

, *; an affliction, he takes spirituous liquors 

summer beat. ^ ^ ,.' K rr - r^. 

to drown his sorrows and suiierings. lo 

a servant of God, Harin^ma is much more a powerful 
agent than a strong drink to an ordinary man. It gives 
rise to ecstacy in the heart and overcomes sorrows and 
sufferings, even suffereings from heat. Besides, it reminds 
one of that Loving and All-powerful Friend, who is cease- 
lessly looking after the welfare of His creatures. The 
remembrance gives him joy and strength and neutralises 
the poignancy of his sufferings.'* The name of God is 
recommended by all the religions of the world because it 
partakes of the nature of both matter and 

Name stands gpjj,j^ ^j.^^ mdnavd henchi kaivalya 
mi way e ween ^^qJ^^^ — Rdmaddsa Swdmi ) and is thus 
external world , , _. ^ . • . j 

, ^ , able, as a mediator, to introduce man to 

and God. ^ V ^r-, . ^ r. a • xt- , a 

God. "This Om*', says Swami Viveka- 

nanda in his ^Bhakti Yoga% "stands for the name of the 

whole universe or God. Standing midway between the 

external world and God, it represents both." We find in the 

*Life Science' that "The Sacred Syllables have wonderful 

_ . , vibratory power. They have more power 

Vibratory , ,^ ,#. i, 

er of Sacred to-day than ever before, not only because 

Syllables. ^^^ potent words and tones, in their 

combinations, were founded on the Law 

of Vibration which touches a deep vibratory current in 



93 

the human constitution, but, also because of the velocity 
they have acquired through constant repetition. Persistent 
repetition of thought-vibration is omnipotent,** The very 
pvsyer^ {Yusy a smrit yd cha ndmoktyd tapahpujdkriyddishu 
nyunam sampurnatdm ydti sadyo vande tamachyutam — 
Smriti) to be repeated at the end of all religious rites and 
ceremonies to the effect that whatever 
Significance of j^g^y h^yg been performed imperfectly may 

in^ aU rites Tnd ^^ ^^^^ P^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ Utterance of the 
^°^ ^ . name of the Personal God proves its 

ceremonies. . n i • j c \' 

superiority over all kinds of actions pre- 
scribed by the Vedas, Sh^stras and Puranas, "The utter- 
ance of Thy name*', says Shri Bhagavata, "makes up all 
that is wanting in the invocation of a Mantra (whether due 
to wrong pronunciations ) or wanting in Tantra ( due 
to wrong sacrificial arrangement) or wanting in place, time 
and materials of worship." Sw&mi Rama Tirtha is said 
to have been constantly humming *0m' when not employed 
in talking, writing or reading. By calling 'Om' as one-sylla- 
jDled Brahma {Omttyekdksharam Brahma — B. G. VIIL 13)^ 
f Shri Krishna suggests the singing of the 

1-, ^^T^^^ ^" other names of God too, such as Hari, 
bled Brahma. -.. , j xta a , • i i- i 

Keshava and Narayana which are dissyl- 

labled, trisyllabled and four-syllabled Brahma respectively. 

Thus, "there is no difference*', as Thakur Haranath says in 

his 'Upadeshdmrita\ "between Krishna and His name. To 

the sinner, Krishna's name is far more dear than Krishna 

Himself; for, Krishna never approaches the sinner, but the 

latter is at liberty to take His name, and taking His name 

he can reach Him. We must regard His name as an 

object of greater endearment to us than He Himself. Tak- 

1 Cf. Pramadatkurvatam karma praohjavetadhvareshnyat / 
smaranMetadvishnoh sampurnasy^diti Shrutih // 



94 



ing His name silently and singing His 
■Quotations praise loudly are the stepping stones to 
from Tbakur p^^^^ The mind runs off? Well let it 

Haranath and it^-. i 'j^i-i ■\r 

^ ^ ^, ., eo ! Let it go wherever it likes. You 

Lord Chaitanya. '^^ ..^ .. . - ., 

need not bother yourself running after it ! 
You stay where you are and go on with the name. The 
mind will run away this way and that; but at last quite 
knocked up, it will return to you of its own accord.'* 
Therefore, Lord Chaitanya exclaims with a deep sigh 
"They call Thee by so many names, they divide Thee, 
as it were, by them. Yet in each one of these Thy 
names is to be found Thy omnipotence and Thou reachest 
the worshipper through any one of them ! Neither 
is there any speciaP time mentioned to take Thy name so 
long as the soul has intense love for Thee. Thou art so 
€asy of approach ! It is my misfortune that I cannot love 
Thee, O Lord !*' "The greatest aid to this practice of 

keeping God in memory", says Sw^mi 

Help of music vivekananda, "is perhaps, sound music. 

^^^^ "^"''^" It is said to Narada, the great teacher of 

Bhakti, 1 do not live in heaven, nor do I 
live in the heart of the Yogis, but where My devotees sing 
My praise, there am I {Ndham vasdmi Vaiktinthe / yogindm 
hridaye ravau / Madbhaktd yatra gdyanti / tatra tishthdmi 
Ndrada //y. Music has such tremendous power over the 
human mind; it brings it to concentration in a moment." 
Similarly we find in the Bible, "For, where two or three 
are gathered together in My name therp am I in the midst 
of them (Matthew, i8. 20)" and "It is a good thing to give 
thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name 
O Most High. 2. To show forth Thy loving kindness in 

1 Cf. The familiar verse "Tadeva lagnam sudinam 
tadeva, tarabalam chandrabalam tadeva, vidjabalam daiva- 
balam tadeva, Lakshmipate tenghri ytigam smar&mi.'* 



95 

the morning and Thy faithfulness every night. 3. Upon 

^, . ,. . , an instrument of ten strings, and upon the 
Christianity 4.u u -^.v. i 

holds the same P^alttery ; upon the harp with a solemn 
^e^g sound (Psalm, 62. I. 3)." Shri R&makrishna 

Paramahansa,for this reason, always repea- 
ted the names of God, keeping time by clapping his hands- 
Thus, the impure love or Faith of the penitent dualist 
becomes, by the disinterested hearing and singing of the 
names and glories of God [Ishvardrddhana) 
The partially j^^ ^^ie company of saints secured for him 
pun le ove o , pjj^ favour {Sddhu sangati Ishvardnu- 
the penitent ,^x , .„ .^11 ,, , 

dualist is called ^^^^^^)' ^^^- partially purified love called 
True Faith. ' the True Faith of the Knowledge-seekers 
or Jijnasus, the Dasya Rasa of the Vaish- 
navas, the Navavidha Bhakti or the nine-fold love of the 
Bhagavatas and the Karma Yoga of the Yogins, which 
enables them to realise the Self. 

10. The necessity of True Faith in spiritual matters 
is proved by the following miscellaneous 
Consensus of quotations : — 

\ ^Ti-i! ^ * ^ ^ ^ (^) "We have always heard that reli- 

about the neces- ... , . r. , 

€ity of Faith in ^lon insists On our having faith. We are 
spiritual matters, required to believe blindly. Now, objec- 
tionable as this demand for blind faith 
may be, we see on analysing it, that behind it there is a 
great truth. What it really means is what we are now 
considering. The mind is not to be ruffled by vain argu- 
ments, because arguments will never bring us to know God. 
That knowledge is a question of experience 

Swami Vive- and not of argument Indeed, the man, 

"^^^^ ^' who asks you to believe anything blindly 

degrades himself and, if you obey, degrades you also. The 
only claim that the world's sages can make upon our 
belief, lies in the fact that they have analysed their own 



96 



minds, and discovered the truths of which they speak, and 
can promise us that if we do likewise, we shall perceive 
them too. Then only we shall believe and not before. 
This is the whole foundation of religion". — Swdmi 
Vivekdnanda. * * ^ 

(2) "Once you get Faith your work is done. Verily, 
Shri Ramakrish- verily there is nothing higher than Faith."-- 

na Paramahansa. Gospel of Shri Rdmakrishfia. 

(3) "Set aside all consciousness of learning, for, what is 

required here is Faith {Thevd jdniva 
SainbTukarama. gunduna j yethen bhdvachi kdrana //).. 
Tuka says Faith will force God to come to you {Tukd 
mhane bhdva / javali dharuni dni Deva //)." 

(4) "Even Faith, Shraddh^ which has given special 
Prof. Max offence as a requisite for philosophy and 

Muller. ought to begin with de omnibus dubitare^ 

has its legitimate place in the Vedanta philosophy, for, 
like Kant's philosophy, it leads 'us on to see that many 
things are beyond the limits of human understanding and 
must be accepted or believed, without being understood." — 
Max Muller. 

(5) "Reason can but ascertain the profound difficul- 

ties of our condition, it cannot remove 

Achi bishop them; it has no work, it makes no begin- 

Newman. ^:^^^^ j^ ^^^^ y^^^ continually fall back, 

till it is content to be a little child, and to follow where 

Faith guides it." — Newman*s Sermons. 

(6) "And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed 

mu rr , T>'u^ out of him; and the child was cured from 
The Holy Bible. . , , ^, ..-,.. 1 

that very hour. Then came the disciples 

to Jesus apart and said. Why could not we caste him out ? 

And Jesus said unto them Because of your unbelief; 



97 

for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a 
grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, 
Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and 
nothing shall be impossible unto you.'* — Matthew^ Chapter 
XIV. 18-20. 

(7) "Whom, we, that have not seen Thy face, 

^ By faith, and faith alone, embrace, 

Tennyson. -d t • u 

Behevrng where we cannot prove.— 

Tennyson's ^In Memoriam'. 

(8) "This book (Dinkard) teaches that Faith along 

with Wisdom and Experience is necessarily 

Dinkard. required in a man to know the deity, for, 

without faith one cannot believe in Divine existence whose 

nature is invisible and imperceptible.** — Zoroaster and 

Zoroastrianism by Mistri. 

(9) "I believe Thee to be the best being of all, the 

source of light for the world. Everybody 
shall choose Thee (believe in Thee) as the 

source of light. Thee, Mazda, most beneficent spirit etc."— 

Yasna XLIII, Verse 2. 

(10) "The Mahomedans divide their religion which, as 

I just now said, they call Islam into two 

The Koran. distinct parts; Iman i. e., faith or theory 

and Din i. e., religion or practice." — The Koran by Sale. 

Nay, even in worldly matters if there be no faith 

between masters and servants, parents and 

Necessity of children, husbands and wives everything 

Faifch even in ^jj^ ^^^^ ^^ ^ standstill. Social facts 

worldly matters. ... r , • r • . 

exist m Virtue of *precursive laiih m one 

another of those immediately concerned. 

II. The knowledge-seekers {Jijndsu) aie called 
*Yatayah* in Bhagavad-Gita IV. 28 and their ttiorts 

7 



98 



^Svddhydya jndna yajnah\ which are the ^Sddhanachatu- 

shthaya' or the four means of purification 

a ana ■ mentioned in the Varaha Upanishada 
tushthaya or the . . . , • / \ / ^ .. 

four means of fo^ securing knowledge vz^., (i) ^^mawa/ma 

purification. Viveka or the discrimination of the 

eternal from the non-eternal by the 
hearing of the ShS,stras in the company of Saints {Moksha- 
hefumdha satdm sangatirevdtra kdranam prathamam 
stnritamiti f); (2) Ihdmutraphalabhogaviraktt or indifference 
to the enjoyment of this and other worlds ( Sannydsa} or 
the abandonment of all kinds of optional duties or work 
with motives /. e., Sakdma Karma)) (3) Shamadamddishat 
or the acquisition of the six virtues [Shama or allegiance 
to God i. e.y Tydga^ called Karma Yoga or sacrifice to God 
of the necessary duties performed disinterestedly and 
also known as ^Nishkdma Ishvardrpana'; Dama or restraint 
of senses; Uparati or ^NivrittV i.e., aversion for sense- 
objects; Tttikshd or endurance of pain; Shraddhd or faith 
in the Preceptor and the Vedas, and Samddhdna or peace 
of mind during hearing &c. i. ^., *Shravana' or Ishvardrd- 
dhana) and (4) Mumukshd or the longing after liberation. 
The Ashta^ Bhdva or eight outward symptoms of the 
heart, thus purified of all sins and qualified to receive 
knowledge are: — (i) Stambha {Gatinirodha or motionless- 
ness — not that caused by a sudden shock; (2) Sveda or 
sweat— not that caused by heat or fatigue; (3) Romdncha 
or horripilation — not that caused by shudder; (4) Svara' 

1 Karo) anam karmanam njasam sannjasam kavayo 
i^idnh-B.O. XVIIL2, 

2 Sarvakarmaphalatyagam prahustyagam vichakshanah 
—B.G.XVni. 2. 

3 ** Stambliah svedo'tha romanchali svarabhango'tha 
vepathuh / ^vaivarnyama&hrupralaya ityaslitau sattvik&h 
Smritah//". 



99 



Ihanga or change of voice — not that caused by any 
disorder in the throat; (5) Vepathu or 
A s h t a Sat- shivering— not that caused by cold or fever; 
*r ^ • h^^ ^^ ^^^ Vaivarnya or change of complexion— 
eig ou - ^^^ ^^^^ caused by anger, blush etc,; (7) 
ward sympboms - . • i 

of a purified ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ]oy— not weepmg and 
jjg^^jj ( 8 ) Pralaya^ ( Cheshthd nirodha ) or 

deathlike trance — not that caused either 
by hysteric and other fits or by some of the Hatha- 
yoga practices, nor that which is the result of inhaling 
Nitrous Oxide Gas sometimes called Laughing Gas. 
"How can the soul be purified*', says Sbri Krishna in 
Shri Bhagavata, XI.14.23-24, "without the devotional 
emotions, without the pleasurable sensation of horri- 
pilation, the melting of the heart, the flow of tears^ of joy. 
Lost in my devotion. My votary has his heart melted, and 
his speech choked (with emotion); he sometimes weeps 
and laughs excessively. Such a man of devotion sancti- 
fies the world." In his commentary on the Shandilya 



1 This is expressed by the word ' Pranipafca' in 
*Tadviddhi praaipatena' (learn that by falling prostrate) in 
B. G. IV. 34. 

Of. '*T& bhayen pranipata / karava prakarshefi sharira- 
<5ha nipata / to dand^ivata kin akasmata / p^de jaisa toaap^ // 
To tonapa dhakalitan pado jane / pati p^dala to utiion neuen/ 
kin mastakm padtnahasta baae / uthe prabhaven tayachya // 
Achetana danda padala / to toaapa sachetaaen uchalila / taisa 
jadatmatva janaaara yala / uchali koaa cdidatmat^en tya7aa- 
^hnni // Yathdrthadipikd, 

2 The Bhakta therefore asks of the Lord tears aad 
nothiDg else; for tears are the knots in the siring of love, — 
and they are therefore so rauoh sweeter ! Love without tears 
is not love at all ! ! Tears are to Prema, what borax is to 
;gold; both melt and purify. — VjptMieshdmnta by Thakur 

Sarandth. 



100 



Sutra ^Tatpari shuddhascha gamy a loka 
Quotafcions ^allingebhyah' we are told by Svapne- 

^ !^ r« ^^^" shvara that "just as the degree of love in 
vata and Svapne- ,. ''..- ,r ,. i 

g, ^ ordinary men is inferred from their words, 

tears, thrill of joy etc., so also the purity 
of love to God is to be inferred from the like outward 
expressions". Even Mukundaraja, the Chaucer of Marathi 
poetry, insists upon the necessity of such outer state of 
mind for self-realization in his ^Paramdmrtia}.' In the fol- 
lowing extracts from "T/^e Ancient Wisdom'' and '^Gitan- 
jaW will be found a vivid description of the inner state of 
mind of a Jijn&su thirsting for knowledge: — 

(i) "What doth it profit ?" sighs the wearied souL 

T ^ ^ n "All is vanity and vexation. Hundreds, 
Inner state of -, r i -r 

^ purified mind, y^^ thousands of times have I possessed, 
and finally have found disappointment 
even in possession. These joys are illusions, as bubbles 
on the stream, fairy-coloured, rain-bow-hued, but bursting 
at a touch. I am athirst for realities; I have had enough 
of shadows; I pant for the eternal and the true, for free- 
dom from the limitations that hem me in, that keep me a 
prisoner amid these changing shows.'* — The Ancient 
Wisdom. 

(2) "That I want Thee, only Thee,— let my heart 
repeat without end. All desires that detract me, day and 
night, are false and empty to the core. As the night 
keeps hidden in its gloom the petition for light, even thus 
in the depth of my unconsciousness rings the cry— I want 
Thee, only Thee. As the storm still seeks its end in peace 
when it strikes against peace with all its might, even thus 
my rebellion strikes against Thy love and still its cry is, I 
want Thee, only Thee*'. — Gitdnjali No. 38. 

1. Svedakampadi uthati / ashta sattvikabhava pragatati/ 
p&ve samrajya sampatti / ranka jaisa //. 



101 

Unless one secures such a state^ of mind by pure 
devotion, the instruction of the Preceptor 
Necessity o f ^in be futile, for, says^ the Sage Vasish- 
fluch purification ^^a to Shri R^ma in Yogavasishtha, that 
for the acquisi- ^^^ instruction of the master is a mere 
k°" ? F^^^ ^^^ matter of form. The principal cause of 
knowledge is the purified reason of the 
disciple. The same^ idea is expressed by the Saint TukS.- 
rama in the following poem: — "If the water is not clean, 
what can soap do ? In the same way, to one whose mind 
is not purified, what can instruction do ? If a tree does 
not bear flower or fruit, what can the spring do ? If a 
sterile woman does not get children, what can the hus- 
band do ? If the husband is impotent, what can the wife 
do ? If the life passes away, what work can the body do ? 
Tuka says without water there can be no crops." The 
reason is simple enough. The impurity of mind being 
the pin of the chain which fastens the individual soul, it 
is evident that unless Sattva or the mind is freed from the 
impurities of Rajas and Tamas, he cannot be free 
{Prakriti shrinkhald to baddha j khildishrinkhalechd mana 

1 Nayanam galadasbru dharaya vadanam gadgadrud- 
dhayagira / pnlakairnicliitain vapuh kada tava namagrahaae 
bhavishyati // Lord Ohaitanya. 

2 TJpadeshakramo Rama vyavasthamatra palanam / 
jnaptestu karanam shuddha shishya prajnaiva kevala // 
Yogavasishtha. 

3 Nahin nirmala jivana / kaya karila sabana // Taisi 
cliitta shuddhi nahin / tyasa bodha karila kayi // Vriksha na 
dhari pushpa-phala / kaya karila vasanta kala // Vanje na 
hoti lekuren / kaya kije tya bhrataren // Napunsaka puru- 
shasi / kaya karila baila tyasi // Prana gelya sharira / 
kaya karila vyavahara // Tuka mhana jivaae vina / pikst 
aavhe navhe jana //. 



102 



ashuddha / ten sattva mana rajatamdvegalen hotdn shud» 
dha I tydsa moksha // Yathdrthadipikd). 

12. To such ripe knowledge-seekers {^Vishuddha sat* 

tvastastu' and ^Hridd manishd manasd^ 

^^^ya ire a an ij-^ij^jipf^* — S/^rwfi), the Lord, in the form 

or 'Knowledge ^^ ^^^ Preceptor {Sadguru), gives com- 

and Wisdom'. plete knowledge {Daddmi buddhiyogam — 

B.G.X.10) which enables them to attain 

to Him [Yena Mam upaydnti te—B.G.X.10). To make 

Himself, however, more clear about the nature of the 

knowledge {Buddhiyogam lit. union of reason with God or 

the Self) which Shri Krishna imparts, He says that out 

of compassion for them alone (Teshdmevdnukampdrtham) 

who seek not freedom but love, He dwells in their hearts 

and from there destroys {Ndshaydmi) the darkness (tamah) 

of their ignorance of the Self by the lamp of Vyatiraka 

Knowledge {Jndnadipena) and the false appearance of 

Illusion born of that ignorance { Ajndnajam) by the 

brilliant light of the sun of Anvaya Knowledge 

( Bhdsvatd ). Just as a lamp only helps us to see at 

night the objects lying in the house, but it is the 

sun's light alone that can disclose the world outside, 

so the Vyatireka Knowledge secures only the realization 

of the rope of the Self, but it is the Anvaya Knowledge 

alone that can dispel the dark dreadful fear of the serpent 

of this variegated world, caused by the ignorance of the 

rope of the Self. In the following passage from Newman's 

Sermons ( Page 279 ), Faith means Shraddhd, Knowledge — 

Vyatireka Jndna and Wisdom — Anvaya 

Quotationfrom /^^,,^:_" Wisdom belongs to the Perfect 

ewmans er- ^^^ more especially to the Preachers of 

the Gospel; and Faith is the elementary 

grace which is required of all, especially of hearers. The 

two are introduced again in a later Chapter of the sanie 



103 



Epistle: * To one is given by the spirit the word of Wisdom^ 
to another the word of Knowledge by the spirit, to another 

Faith, by the same spirit.' The Collect virtually speaks 

of Faith, when it makes mention of Almighty God's 
' Teaching the hearts of His faithful people by the sending 
to them the light of His Holy Spirit ' and of the Wisdom 
of the Perfect, when it prays God, that ' by the same 
spirit ' we may ' have a right judgment in all things." By 
this double Knowledge ( Vyatireka or Analytic and Anvaya 
or Synthetic ), the Jijniisu is able to remove the second 
defect of adulteration in his love of God which thus 
becomes unadulterated, being the love of 
the Self. In the Chatuhshloki Bh^gavata, 
the God of Gods Himself delivered such 
knowledge to Brahmadeva at the beginning of the world 
Chatuhshloki ( Etdvadeva jijndsyam tattvajijndsundt" 
Bhagavata or bhe manah / anvaya vyatirekdbhydm yah sydt 
Koowledge deli- sarvatra sarvadd //). In Chapter VIII. 3 
vered to Brah- of the Bhagavad-Git&, by declaring Brahma 
madeva. to be imperishable {Akshram), Shri Krishna 

causes Arjuna to leave behind everything that is perishable 
{Ksharam) i. e., to separate himself from all the twenty- 
four elements^ of which the gross and subtle bodies 
(Sthulaand Sukshma Deha) are composed {Indriydni 

pardnydhuh buddheh paratastu sah // 

ceiv^dT A?uDt ^- ^' ^^^' 42), and to realize the One that 
^^^J^i-uxJ ^''T^ cannot be expressed by words ( Yatovdcho 
in both Vyatireka ^ -^ . . ^t • 1 

and Anvaya nivartante — Shruti), This is Vyatireka 
Knowledges in Knowledge ( Hen jada aisen jdnuni nirdld 
the Bhagavad- houni pahdtdn / Vyatireken chidachid gran- 
Gita. thi sute tattvatd // Shivardma Swdmi )« 

The swan {Hansa) is said to be gifted with 

1 Vide Chap. I. p. 43. Tiie so called causal (Karana) and 
Great Causal ( Maha Karana ) bodies, which meaa only igno- 



104 

the power of separating milk from water but it is unable 
to turn the water thus separated into milk. The 
Preceptor, however, by the help of the Anvaya Know- 
ledge makes the disciple realize^ that the Imperishable 
( Aksharam ) Brahma is the reality ( Paramam ) in the 
Perishable {Ksharam) world from which it is separated by 
the Vyatireka Knowledge, Thread is the reality {Paramo) 
in cloth, earth in pots, gold in ornaments, water in waves 
and joy in the universe ( Sakala Sachchiddnandu hd ho 
Anvaydchd bodhu / to jdndvd Shivardmdchd partpurnd" 
nandu // J. So far, Arjuna is given what is called prac- 
tical knowledge of the Impersonal Brahma or Nirguna 
Jn&na. And yet, the forms of things as well as the reason 
which recognises them still remain to be 
Saguna Jnaua accounted for. These, which the Nirguno- 

or the knowledge a i / r.- r xi^ t i 

^, , ^, . pasakas ( worshippers of the Impersonal 

that the universe '^ x i # . 

ifcself is fche Per- Brahma ) call M^ya or illusion, Arjuna is 
sonal God. asked in Chapter IX to realize as God or 

the Self, being the thought-forms of the 
Personal God ( Saguna Brahma ) like His incarnations. 
This knowledge of the Personal God or Saguna Jntoa 
named the Royal Science ( Raja Vidyd ) or the Royal 

ranee and knowledge of Brahma respectively, are thus des- 
cribed in Ohidratnamala: — *' N"ene asen sphurana karana 
tencha maja / jane tayasi mhanati muni techi turja //". The 
"whole universe known as Virat is the gross body ( Sthula 
Deha ) of the Universal Soul or the God of Gods. The deities 
presiding over our reason, mind and senses, forming what is 
called Hiranyagarbha, is His subtle body ( Sukshma Deha ), 
Avidya or Gunamayi Maya is His causal body (Karana Deha) 
and Vidya or Mula Maya is His great causal body ( Maha 
Karana Deha). — Nzgamasdra and Bodhasdgara, 

1 Chidatmatven davi Guruvara jaden sarva sharan^ / 
Gurutvachi sima Hari karitase tyachi charana / / Gharama- 
gurumanjarz. 



105 



„, ^. Secret {Rdjaguhyam) is imparted to Ariuna 

The five ways . ^ ' '' 4.u n . -^^ / u 

i hi h ifc • ^° ^^ ways, the first proposition to be 
imparted to ^^^^'^^^^ ( Pc^shya ) by him being that "All 
Arjuna. ^^^^ universe is pervaded by Him of Form 

Unmanifest*' ( Maya tatamidam sarvam 
jagadavyaktamurtind — B. G. IX. 4 ). While Arjuna is 
swimming in this sea of joy, the Blessed Lord gives 
out the second proposition that " all entities live in 
Him" ( Matsthdni sarva bhutdni — B, G. IX. 4) to impress 
upon the mind of the disciple the idea of infinity i. e.y to 
give him the experience of the existence of the Self 
wherever the mind goes. There are innumerable waves in 
the ocean, but the human vision can reach upto a certain 
limit only, that is the horizon, while the infinite ocean, 
which still remains beyond it, is to be judged by inference 
from the experience that one actually possesses, Arjuna 
is thus enjoying his own infinity when suddenly the third 
proposition that ''he does not live in them" ( Nachdham 
teshvavasthitah — B. G. IX. 4) strikes upon his ears. The 
object of this declaration is to do away with the distinc- 
tion one would be disposed to make between the occupier 
and the thing occupied by the use of the analogies of the 
elements, space and such other things as do not suit the 
purpose. Otherwise, it would be highly 
Suitable and anomalous to tell first that He pervades 
unsuitable analo- every thing, then to admit that all is in 
gies. Him and now to say that He is in none. 

The comparisons^ suggested, therefore, to 



1 Yatha khalu saumyaikenaiva mritpindena sarvam mrin- 
mayam vijnatam syat — Sdma Veda. 

Yatha taranga kallolair jalameva sphuratyalam / patraru- 
pena tamramhi Brahmandadjaistathatmata // Ajparokshdnu^ 
iliuti, 

Ataupamiyate dravinajS-ti vikalpa pathaih-zSAn Bhdgavata^ 



106 



reconcile these three statements are those of the waves 
and the ocean, the mirage and the rays of the sun, the 
serpent and the rope and the ornaments and gold. For, of 
the two parts of each of these several pairs, the second 
ones such as the ocean, the rays of the sun etc. cannot be 
said to dwell in the first named viz.^ the waves, the mirage 
etc., because the latter are a mere illusion, having no in- 
dependent existence of their own apart from the former, 
which represent the really existing things. Here a doubt 
arises in the mind of Arjuna that if this is so, why should 
Shri Krishna have said at all that 'all entities live in Him' 
(Matsthdni sarva bhutdnt — B. G. IX. 4) ? This is cleared 
by giving utterance to the 4th proposition that 'the entities 
do not live in Him' {Nacha Matsthdni bhutdni — B.G. IX.5)o. 
This apparent contradiction is to be 
Explanation of explained in this way:— (i) When Arjuna 
the apparent ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ .^y entities live in God' 

contradiction in t -mr . .-, a - 7 » . ^ • \ ^t_ i.-i.- 

., .^. ( Matsthdni sarva hhutdm ), the entities 

the propositions. ^ _ . .- , -i- . i 

were assumed to exist from the disciple s 

standpoint; (2) When he was told that 'He does not 
live in them' ( Nachdham teshvavastitah — B. G. IX. 4 ), 
Shri Krishna gives his own experience of things and 
(3) When Arjuna realizes the Truth, the secret that 'the 
entities do not live in Him' ( Nacha Matsthdni bhutdni — 
B. G. IX. 5) is revealed to him. These statements, 
although they appear to be inconsistent with one ano- 
ther, are all true, because they are made according 
to the stages of knowledge the hearer has reached. The 
universe is thus admitted to be an illusion at every one of 
the four steps, which fact is what is called Jndnam or 
knowledge, but there is means to avoid it. In what light, 
therefore, is it to be seen ? The answer, which is called: 
Vijndnam or Supreme Knowledge, is given in the 5th and 
last proposition viz.^ that 'it is to be seen as His Divine. 



107 



Power or Skill' {Pashya Me Yogamaishvaram-B. G. IX. 5)0 
This universe, which does not really exist and yet appears, 
is the power {Yogam) of the Personal God or His attribute 
called ^Aishvarya\ It is this manifestation or form of His 
which is eulogized in the Vedas {Sahasra shirshd purushah 
&c. — Purushasukfa )• Thus, knowledge and ignorance, 
which liberate and fetter the individual souls respectively, 
are to be realized as the body^ of the Personal God created 
by Him by means of His M^y^ (illusion). If, after securing 
. complete self-realization, in this way, no 

ecessi y o attempt is made to destroy the mind or 
pracfeice for , *^ . , - /^* . 

T> rather to make the reason steady (Chttta- 

securing Per- ^ ^ 

f e c fc i u . chaitanya-Yoga), the Jnani will have surely 

to take birth again. The different means, 
therefore, employed by the Jn^ni {Arthdrthi) seeking 
perfection of knowledge {Siddht) and enjoyment of living- 
freedom {Jivanmukti), will be discussed in the next Chapter 
called Perfect Resignation {Samprapatti). Shri Tuk^rama 
Maharaja describes the blissful result of the practical 
knowledge of the self he gained, in the following words^: — 



1 Vidy^vidye Mama tanu viddhyuddhava sharirin^m / 
moksha bandha kare adye may ay 4 Me vinirmite // Shri Bha^ 
gavata, 

Bandha bandhitan kari daven / tenchi pashu soditan 
moksha mhanaven / dhanyaohen ton svabhaven / dorkhanda 
ten // Jivansa vate avidya / jivansa vate vidya/ sarvahi miloni 
may a adya / Ishvarachi // Yathdrthadijpikd, 

2 Apalefi^ marana pahilen myaii dolan / to jala sohola 
anupamya // Ananden dMaliii tinlii tribhiivanen sarvatmaka- 
panen bhoga jala // Ekadeshin hotoii ahankaren ^thila/ tyachya 
tyagen jala sukala ha // Phitalefi sufcaka jaDmamaranachen / 
mi mazya sankochen duri jalon // ISTarayanefi dila vasatisa 
thava / thevuniyan bhava thelon payin // Tuka mhane dilefi 
nmatuni jagin / ghetalen ten angin lavuniyan // 



108 



^*I witnessed the death of my body with the eye of my 

reason and that exultation of self-realization was indeed 

unique ! All the three worlds thrilled with 

Description of j^y ^^en I realized myself to be all. 

TeH^^e^r^^^^^ Through egoism I once identified myself 
-r a iza- ^.^^^ ^^^ gross and subtle bodies but 

through its abandonment I have become 
infinite. The mourning of births and deaths is over, as I 
am now far far away from all limitations of ignorance. 
N^r&yana has given me shelter in His Abode. I will, there- 
fore, keep faith in Him and lie at His feet. Tuk& says 
the impression or form of the Personal God, which is 
traceable everywhere in the world, have I assumed on my 
own Impersonal Self. 



CHAPTER III. 

PERFECT RESIGNATION 

(Samprapatti). 



^1% m^ q?r ^^^t TrmW^e^r^: ii 
w%^r ^ ^ ^ ^^HT^?^: m^fr ^T% II 

"Once more listen to My Supreme Word, most secret of all; 
you are beloved of Me and steadfast of heart, therefore, I will 
speak what is for your welfare. Merge your mind in Me, be 
My Lover, sacrifice to Me, prostrate yourself before Me, and 
you will certainly come to Me; I pledge My word, for, you are 
dear to Me. Abandoning all duties, seek shelter in Me alone; 1 
will release you from all sins, do not grieve. Tell not this to 
one who lacks deliberation and never to one who has no love 
for me; nor to one who desires not to listen and who does not 
wait on you, nor yet to one who calumniates Me. He who shall 
declare this Supreme Secret among My Lovers extolling love for 
Me, shall surely come to Me. No one Is there amongst men 
who does dearer service to Me than he, and there shall never 
be another on earth dearer to Me than he."— Bhagavad-Gita,. 
XVIII. 64-69. 



110 



I. As far as Amourism is concerned, Shri Shankar^- 

chSrya's work is now over. For, "Ishvara, 

The Personal ^j^^ Personal God of the Shankara Ved^nta 

€rod of Shankara . ,, xu o t ^ r j- cc n/r^ • 

,. is , says the Soul of Indta^ "mere Mayic, 

as much as this phenomenal world. And 
in the highest state of beatitude this Ishvara passes out 
like all other dualities and illusions, and the consciousness 
of the one-without-a-second, ol: the undifferentiated Unity 
alone remains. If you are a Monist of this class, if all 
your worships and prayers are mere spiritual disciplines 
of the same class fundamentally as your baths and ablutions, 
that is, — are only means to an end and not an end unto 
themselves, — if you believe that when the spirit is purified 
by these means and the understanding is finally able to 
rest in the sense of the Unity, there will be no need for 
these lower and kindergarten cultures; then you may well 
and legitimately dismiss the Vaishnavic conception of the 
eternal and abiding Rupa or form of the Supreme as 
false and fanciful. But not otherwise, my child." Shri 

Ramanujdcharya, therefore, with a view 

^ Shri Ramamv ^q remove the only defect of condition or 

jaoharya and Re- j^^tive now remaining in the aspirant'sLove 

!1??,^ \°^ ^,r^ ^ of God, continues the reform by substitutinef 

Will of God(Pra- t^ . . , x.tmi r ^ i /r^ ^ 

. . Resignation to the Will of God (Prapattt) 

of the Artha^rthi, based especially on the 

Shvetashvetara Upanishad text ^^Mumukshurvai sharanant 

ahant prapadye'\ or the SakhyaRasa (emotion of friendship 

of the Vaishnavas), or the Prema Bhakti (devotion of love) 

^of the Bhagavatas, or the Jnana Yoga of the Yogins, for 

the Ashtanga Yoga ( Yoga of eight parts ) of Patanjali. 

This is the means recommended by Shri Krishna to 

Arjuna in Chapter XVIII of the Bhagavad-Gita. In the 

^verses quoted at the beginning of this Chapter, He sug- 

.:gests that the knowledge of the Sh&stras is a secret 



Ill 

{Guhyam)f the practical knowledge of the Self is a greater 

secret {Guhydt guhyataram) and the means which make it 

^, perfect is the greatest of all the secrets 

The greatest ^ ^ 

of all /secrets { Sarva guhyatamam ). This last is the 

Supreme Word which the Blessed Lord 
wishes Arjuna to hear from Him ( Shrunu Me paramam 
vachah ). As the subject, however, was already discussed 
in Chapter XII, He says that, on account of its importance 
He is going to give its substance in Chapter XVIII again 
(Bhuyah) for the guidance of Arjuna as well as of all of 
us. The reasons he gives for his declaring ( Vakshydmi ) 
this most mysterious Truth are that (i) Arjuna being 
His friend and lover is very dear to Him ( Ishto'si Me ), 
(2) he is steadfast ( Dridhamati ) and would not change 
the resolution which he has once made of fighting and (3) 
the last word is for his good ( Te hitam ) i. e., it will make 
his reason steady and enable him to enjoy Living-Freedom. 
2. If the aspirant is fortunate enough to enjoy the 
company of the Preceptor for a sufficient 

Acharyopasana period after Self-reaHzation ( Gurupdsoni 
orwors ip o b e ghydvenjndna / maga to Ishvara mhanoni 

recep or a one fy^chen hhajana I tyd hhajanen bdnatase 
suflaces bo secure ^ -,1 ^ ;.« 77, ~ ~.^ 

. . samadhana / jen tipadeshtlen ten jnanacht 

bimhaten Shruti mhane// Yathdrthadiptkd\ 

the daily routine of hearing and singing ( Shravana kir- 

tana) through which, in that case, he must go, will alone 

enable him first to concentrate his mind in the Self or the 

Impersonal Brahma and then to realize easily the universe 

to be the Self or the Personal God ( Shravana kirtana 

bhakti jasi jasi^ Hart kripd abhivriddhi tasi tasi / jasi 

kripd upaje Madhusudand, tasi tasi a^unin sthtratd ntandjl 

Jasi jasi sthtratd Harichi dayd, tasatasd avalokila to tayd / 

inanin taranga ahankritichd kasd^ maga uthe ? jari nischaya 

hd asd II Brahmastuti ) without any special efforts* 



112 



Otherwise, he has to follow the advice given in Chapter 
XII. 8 of the Bhagavad-Gita, where Arjuna is asked to 
see with his mind the universe as the Form of the Per- 
sonal God and to penetrate his reason into the Setf that 
dwells in it, so that after the death of his physical I'ody 
he might, without doubt, enter into Him ( Mayyeva mana 

ddhatsva Mayi buddhim niveshaya / nivasi" 

. shasi Mayyeva ata urdhvam na sanshayah//). 

erec esigna- x^g gtudent will bfi able to do this with 

tionanaitsresulD , ./- i t r 

ease only if he secures the quality of 

Perfect Resignation or Absolute Self-Surrender {Matparah 
-—B. G. XII. 6) called Prapatti or Sharan^gati by Shri 
Rto&nuj&charya. ''Resignation to the will of God", says 
Joseph Butler in Sermon XIV, "is the whole 
. " of piety: it includes in it all that is good» 

signabion. r j ^ o 

and is a source of the most settled quiet 
and composure of mind. Nature teaches and inclines us to 
take up with our lot; the consideration that the course of 
things is unalterable hath a tenedency to quiet the mind 
under it, to beget a submission of temper to it; but when 
we can add that this unalterable course is appointed and 
continued by Infinite Wisdom and Goodness how absolute 
should be our submission how entire our trust and depen- 
dence ? Our resignation to the will of God may be said 
to be perfect, when our will is lost and resolved up into 
His; when we rest in His will as our end, as being itself 
most just and right and good." The difference between 

_ „ mind (Manas) and Reason (Buddhi) is that 

The Functions ,, ^ , i -.u ^^^ c c ^w 

- ,^ . , , the former deals with the forms of thmgs 
of M 1 n d a n d ^ , , . , , ,° 

j^g^g^j^ and the latter determines what they really 

are. The mind, for instance, sees the 
trunk, tail, tusk and other parts of the body of an elephant, 
but it is the reason that determines the animal seen to be 
an elephant. Shri Krishna, therefore, asks Arjuna to keep 



113 

his mind fixed on Him only {Mayyeva^ mana ddhatsva) 
that is to meditate on the whole animate and inanimate 
world as the form of the Personal God. But this is not 
possible until he is able to realise the spirit or the Self in 
it. He is, therefore, asked to enter his reason too into 
Him (Mayi buddhim niveshaya) because that subtler or 
purer faculty alone can grasp the Universal Soul. This is 
the course which the worshippers of the Personal God 
have to adopt for making their reason steady after Self- 
realisation {^Yastu sarvdni hhutdni dtm- 

anyevdnupashyaft / dtmdnam sarva bhute- 
God never fails - ^ , ,. , , ,„ o-, .. j e-.r 

. ^^ Shu na tato vtiuguhsyate // Shrutt and Yo 

in Yoga, ^ o xr ^ / / 

Mdm pashyatt sarvatra sarvancha Mayi 

pashyati / tasydham na pranashydmi sa cha Me na prana- 

shyati //' B. G. VL 30). The Nirgunopasakas or the 

worshipperes of the Impersonal Brahma achieve it by 

undergoing the worries of the Ashtanga Yoga or the Yoga 

of eight parts {Kleshodhikatarasteshdmavyaktdsakta che^ 

tasdm — B. G. XII. 5). To the lovers of the Personal God, 

however, it is an easy task through His Grace. The 

reason is that the former, whose minds are bent wholly on 

the unqualified Impersonal Brahma {Avyaktdsakta cheta- 

sdm) that knows neither justice nor mercy, 
The worries of , ^ , , ^, . re ^ - 

^^. . have to depend upon their own efforts m 

the Nirgunopa- n- i • 

^^^^ controUmg their senses for want of the 

assist ance which the latter (Bhaktas) 

1 Tasmat sarveshii kaleshu M^m anusmara — B, G. 
VIIL7. 

Dolan Jen pahaven / kanin hana aikaven / manin jen 
bhavaven / bolaven jen // Ten antu bahiri aghaven / Michi 
kamni ghalivefi / maga sarvifi kaliii svabhavefi / Michi ahefi // 
Jndneshvari, 

Ananyachet^h satatam — B, G, VII L 14, 

Mhanaje vishva Bhagavadrupen / lakshito ananya chit- 
svarnpefi / ya anubhavachya prat^pefi / ananyachitfca satata 
sarvakaliii // Yathdrthadipikd. 

8 



114 

receive from the Personal God on account of His nature 

of the Kalpavriksha (wishing-tree) in subduing the desires 

which divert the mind from the study of Brahma. Now, a 

question arises viz., *Why should there be any difficulty 

at all in the progress of the Yogis when 

Cause of dif. ^^^y ^^^^ already realized Brahma ?' The 

icu y m prac 1- re- ly is that the worshippers being em- 

fliDg Yoga. , J. 1 1 . , . , . , 

bodied bemgs, that is, beings who are 
accustomed to regard their bodies to be themselves owing 
to the inherent tendencies of countless lives, and the 
object of worship being Impersonal, their assimilation 
becomes a very difficult task ( Avyaktdhi gatirduhkham 
dehavadbhiravdpyate) on account of their heterogeneous 
natures. Their position resembles that of the fish taken out 
of water and put on hot ground. Under such circumstances 
how could they avoid feeling pain ? In the case of the 
Lovers of God, however, if the mind does 
Advantage ^^^ concentrate easily, they at once begin 

which the Bhak- . . .i. t j> • u- i. 

to Sing the Lord s praises, which remove 

tas enjoy. . . . . , . , , 

the impurities that come m the way and 

enable U to enjoy the absorption {Samddhi) it longs for. 

As regards tie different goals of these two classes of 

worshippers, we are told that, on the death of their 

physical bodies, the Nirgunopasakas are assimilated in 

God's Impersonal Nature i^Prdpnuvanti Mdmeva-B. G. 

XI L 4 an i ^Atdil tydnchi gati / sdnge kin te pdvati Majachi- 

prati I Mi jo Nirguna tyd Mdten pdvati / art ha aisd //' — 

Yathdrthudipikd}, whereas the Bhaktas finally enter in 

tiie Pergonal God alone {Ntvasishyasi 

, ,. ^ Mayyeva) after the dissolution of their 

goals o. the two *^ ' 

classes oi mov ^^^Y (^^^^ urdhvam) in such a way, that 

shippers. ^^'^Y dwell there permanently and, on 

: ccount of the exhaustion of their Pr^rab- 

dha, are not required to return to it, as they had to do when 



115 



they were alive. Of this, there is no doubt {Na sanshayah). 
3. At the end of Chapter VI of the Bhagavad•Gita^ 
the Great Master asked His favourite 
ArjuDa's mis- disciple to become a Yogi as well as a 
understand ing Bhakta, as that was in his opinion the 
aboub the nature ^wnmum bonum of Human Life ( Yogind- 
- , p J mapi sarveshdm Madgafendnfardtmand / 

B ahmau shraddhdvdn bhajate yo Mdm sa me yukta* 

iamo maiah // S. G. VI. 47). Arjuna, how- 
ever, could not understand how this union of two hetero- 
geneous elements was possible, as he thought a Yogi to 
be a worshipper of the Impersonal God {Nirguna Brahma) 
and a Bhakta to be a worshipper of the Personal God, 
such as R^ma or Krishna, having some definite form, and 
that the two different modes of worship must naturally 
clash with each other. The reason of the misunder- 
standing was his ignorance of the fact that the forms of 
the animate and inanimate objects which make up this 
universe are assumed by the Personal God {Saguna 
Brahma=^ Brahma -^Mdyd) who is described in the Vedas 
as "without hands and feet, yet grasping and moving, 
seeing without eyes, hearing without ears*', in accordance 
with the actions and desires of the individual souls {Jivas) 
just as the so called incarnations of R&ma and Krishna are 
the forms assumed by Him for their salvation. The 
Perscnal God, therefore, regards the Universe as His body 
exactly as He does His incarnations, although He is always 
conscious that His nature is Impersonal {Nirguna). The 
Nirgunopasaka too, who has studied both 
, , the Vyatireka and Anvaya Yogas identifies 

difference bet- ■; ^ i ^ j /xr- 

ween aNirguno himself With the Impersonal God [Nirguna 
pasaka aud a Brahma) pervading the Universe but neg- 
Bhakta. lects the forms he sees as mere M^yS, (Illu- 

sion) from which he can expect nothing. 



116 



The Saguna Bhakta, however, in addition to the knowledge 
of the Impersonal Brahma, which the NirgunopS-saka poss- 
esses {Ananyenaiva yogena Mdm dhydyanta updsate — B,G, 
XIL 6), entertains extreme love for the material universe 
as well as for all the Divine Incarnations as being alike 
the forms of the Personal God {Saguna Brahma)^ and 
dedicates all actions to Him holding Him as the highest 
of all beings (Ye tu sarvdni karmdni Mayi sannyasya 
Mdtpardh — B. G. XII. 6). Thus the Personal God becomes 
speedily his deliverer from the ocean of births and deaths 
(Teshdmaham samuddhartd mrityu sansdra sdgardf/ hhavdmi 
na chirdt — B. G. XIL 7) by making his reason steady 
without difficulty, because His nature of the Kalpavriksha 
forces Him to fulfil the desires of those whose minds are 
always infused in Him {Mayydveshitachetasdm. — B.G.XIL7). 
4. The aspirant who after Self-realisation abandons 

the worship of the Personal God and prac- 
Yogi tises Yoga for attaining perfection, is 

called a Vyatireka Yogi. His practice of 
Yoga consists of eight steps known as Ashtangas. They 

are: — (i) Yama or Self-restraint, (2) 
The Ashtangas jsfiyama or observance, (3) Asana or pos- 

Yoff^ ^ ^^^ ^ ^"^^' ^4) P^^^^y^^f^ or control of life- 
breaths, (5) Dhydna or meditation, (6) 
Dhdrand or concentration, (7) Pratydhdra or abstraction^ 
and (8) Sam^d/i^ or absorption. The main obstacles in 
the way of the Yogi are : — (i) Sleep (Layo^) 

obs^acler ""**'" ^^^ ^^^ ^"^^^ attractions [Vikshepa). The 

former is avoided by moderation in food^ 

and exercise {Yuktdhdra vihdrasya) and in sleeping 

1 The result of the latest scientific investigations with 
regard to the use of flesh and stimulants may be gathered from 
the following quotations: — "In a word, man is provided neither 
with the teeth to cut flesh, nor the power to hold its poisonous- 



117 



and wakefulness {Yukta svapndvahodhasya)^ and the 

latter by abstraction ( Pratydhdra ) 
toSlv^decf^^ which is defined in the Shandilya Upani- 

shad as " the drawing away of the organs 
from attaching themselves to the objects of senses and 
contemplating upon everything that one sees as Atm^." 
Shri Shankar^ch^rya calls it 'the merging of consciousness 
in Brahma by realizing the Self in all objects/ When the 
aspirant begins the practice of Yoga (Yogdhhydsa) he is an 

Arurukshu or seeker of the Yoga-state 
Arurukshu. which is a severance of all connection with 

pain. When he is, however, able to enjoy 
in his concentration the endless Bliss {Sukhamdtyantikam) 
of the Self, he is said to be attuned {Yukta) or enthroned 

in Yoga {Yogdrudha). "One should earn- 
a dh^ ^^ °' ^^^^y practise this unconventional bliss,** 

says Shri Shankaracharya, "until it will 

salfcs in solution and pass them ont of his body; whilst the 
carnivore is provided with these powers to a very considerable 
extent. 

It has been truly said that the man who relies upon stimu- 
lants for strength is lost, for he is drawing upon a reserve 
fund, which is not completely replaced, and physiological 
bankruptcy must inevitably ensue. This is what the stimu- 
lants such as, tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, opium and cocaine 
do for those who trust in them; they none of them introduce 
albumen, available for conversion into force and urea, they 
merely aid the calling out of reserves. 

These stimulants are necessary, however, to flesh-eaters, 
and the reasoa is simple, for on all flesh diets they are con- 
stantly taking uric acid and the Xanfchins, and these are tirst 
stimulants and afterwards depressants. Taey unnecessarily 
call out the reserves and then plunge all into depression and 
feeble nutrition by blocking the circulation; and while this is 
going on, other stimulants, such as alcohol, tobacco, or tea, 
must be called in to keep things going. 



118 



obediently spring up of its own accord in an instant at the 
will of the individual" (Yunjannevam saddtmdnam Yogi 

vigatakalmashah / sukhena Brahmasans^ 
S'tWlT ^^ f^" th^ parshamafyantam sukhamashnute // B. G. 
Vyatireka Yogi. ^^- 28). This is the perfection (Siddhi) 

of the Vyatireka Yogi. When he, however, 
rises from his Sam^dhi and is in a state called Vyut* 
th&na, he cannot help seeing this world of miseries, and 

feeling that it is real. Under these cir- 
He secures cum Stances how can he be said to enjoy 

salvation bub not ^• - c i s 

living-freedom. livmg-freedom ? 

5. When the aspirant attempts to realize the Imper- 
sonal Brahma in the Universe he is said to be an Anvaya 

It follows that the only way to get clear of stimulants i» 
to give them up; If any are retained you must of necessity be 
led to take more and gradually to add others which are mora 
powerful.'' — ^Diet and Food'' by Alexander Hatg, M, A,, M. D. 

(1) A given area of ground, consecrated to the culture 
of corn, vegetables, and fruit, and to pasturage sufficient to 
meet the needs of a non-j3esh-eating people, would yield provi-^ 
Bion capable of sustaining a population about six times greater 
than the same area as at present distributed. 

(2) A vegetable dietary, to which even cheese, butter and 
milk are added, costs per head three or four times less than a 
mixed dietary of flesh and vegetables. Hence the economy of 
landf the ecoDOmy of exjpense, and consequently both national 
and private wealth and prosperity would be enormously in- 
creased by a return to the dietic habits indicated as natural to 
man by his physical structure and by his moral instincts. It 
has now been shown — briefly indeed, but I trust Hufficiently- 
what support for the system, advocated in these pages is 
derived from the facts of comparative anatomy, physiology,, 
history, chemistry, and political and social economy; what 
corroboration for its doctrines is furnished by the actual ex- 
perience of modern nations and communities, by the testimony^ 
of experimental medicine and by the consideration of tha 
moral duties we owe to our owd kind and to the races below 
us. — The Perfect Way in Diet by Anna Kingsfordy M. D. 



119 



Yogi (Purushdnna param kitichitsd kdshtd 
Anvaya Yogi, sd para gatih — Shruti). The Shruti (Vij^ 

ndnam Brahma chedveda tasmdchenna 
pramddyati / shariram pdpmano hitvd sarvdnkdmdnsama* 
shnute //) says that if the aspirant acquires Anvaya Know- 
ledge and does not forget it, he kills desire (Pdpmano) 
and enjoys living-freedom. But about Vyatireka Yogi it 
says only that he fears no one (Na bibheft kufaschana) 
which means he obtains salvation. About the Anvaya 
Yogi the Bhagavad-Gita says ''He whose Self (purified 
reason) has been attuned by Yoga, viewing all with eye of 

sameness sees the Self abiding in all be- 
Sid?h?''^'''° ^^ ings and all beings in the Self" {Sarva 
Yogi bhutasthamdtmdnant sarvabhutdni chdt' 

m^ani / ikshate yogayuktdtmd sarvatra sama^ 
darshinah / / B. G. VL 29). Just as we find water in the 
waves and the waves in the water, so does the Yogi whose 
reason has become steady realizes the Self in everything 

and everything in the Self. It may be said. 

How does he however, that it is not possible to see spirit 

mafcfeer^r^^^ ^° in matter which is entirely different from it 

in appearance. But the difficulty is solved 
in this way that although pieces of ice are hard and they 
do not resemble water at all, which is fluid, yet our actual 
experience is that they are nothing but water. Similarly, 
sugar and articles made of sugar appear to the sight as 
distinct things but to the taste they are one and the same. 
Thus, the senses of the Anvaya Yogi perceive the material 
form of things and their reason realizes the spirit pervad- 
ing them. The worshippers of Nirguna Brahma {Nirguno- 
pdsakas) are generally engaged in Vyatireka Yoga whereas 
the worshippers of Saguna Brahma {Bhaktas) are fond of 
Anvaya Yoga only. In Bhagavad-Git^ VI. 29 just quoted, 
however, when Shri Krishna says that the Yogi sees the 



120 



'v ^ , , Self (Atmdnam ue.yNirguna Brahma) in s\\f 
Abmanam m j^^ refers to one who is a lover of Vyati- 
agva -^1 re- ^^j^^ Yoga but who practises Anvaya only 
fers to Nirguna ^ , r i- • r j 

or Impersonal ^^^ ^^^ purpose of securing hvmg-freedom. 
Brahma. He depends upon his own efforts for suc- 

cess in his Yoga, and he neither expects 
nor gets any assistance from the Personal God. The two 
means for the destruction of mind suggested by the Sage 
Vasishtha to Shri Rama in the Yogavasishtha ( Dvau 

kramau chitta ndshdya yogo jndnaitcha 

The fcwo means Rdghava .j yogo vritti nirodhoht jndnam 

sishtha. ^^^ samyagavekshanam I I ) are also the two 

Yogas *Vyatireka' and 'Anvaya' which are 
called there 'Yoga* and *Jn^na' respectively. The former 
is defined as the inhibition of the functions of the mind 

( Vritti nirodhah ) and the latter as seeing 
«jT°^^ r ^d^ ^^^ essence of things {Samyagavekshanam). 

If you show a piece of cloth to any one 
and ask him what it is he will say that it is cloth. 
He may happen to be a child, who has no idea whatever 
of the thread of which it is formed, or a grown 
up man, who knows the thread and yet who is 
not careful to observe it in the piece of cloth. The latter 
resembles a Yogi who has realized the Self but who is 

unable to see it in the Universe. Without 
Anvaya Yoga Anvaya Yoga, therefore, duality cannot 
18 necessary or y^j^js]^ ^nd living-freedom cannot be enjoy- 
securing iving- ^^ although the destruction of mind and 
freedom bufc nob ' ° , , . , r i_ 

Vyatireka salvation Can be secured by either of the 

two ways. If any description of a Vyati- 
reka Yogi includes the enjoyment of living-freedom, it 
must be distinctly understood that he has mastered the 
Anvaya Yoga also. Now, a question arises whether an 
Anvaya Yogi also stands in need of Vyatireka Yoga 



121 



for obtaining living-freedom, Shri Krishna answers the 
^ query in the neerative and tells us that 

Any one of /. _l, , , , , . , 

the two will do ^^^ Bhakta who only begins to see the 
for obtaining Saguna Brahma {Mdm) everywhere and 
salvation. ^^is diversified world in Him ( Mayi)^ 

though he may not have reached the stage 
of a Yogarudha, does not stand in any danger of faUing from 

Yoga, because the Saguna Brahma {Aham) 
*Mam' in Bha- ^^^^ ^^^ j^^^ j^^j^ ^f ^^^ aspirant and 

gavad-Gita refers ^, • ^ . j i u u 

. ,, T5 , the aspirant too does not loosen hold upon 

to the Personal ^_. ,^, ,^ ^^ 

^^^ ^, g Him (Yo Mdm pashyati sarvatra sarvancha 

Brahma. Mayipashyati j tasydham na pranashydmi 

sa cha Me na pranashyati // B. G. 

VI. 30). For, if the Jn^ni is supposed to be already en- 

,^ . throned in Yoga, where is the propriety of 

Anvaya Yogi . ^ - -ui 4. u- 

. T^, w saymg, i am never invisible to him 

who 19 Bhakta ,j; ^ . -> xt • t_ 

never falls from \Tasydham na pranashydmi) ? He is, there- 
Yoga, ioxe^ one who after Self-Realization prac- 
tises the Anvaya Yoga and worships the 
Saguna Brahma, who is of the nature of the Kalpavriksha 
(wishing-tree). Thus, Anvaya Yoga is proved to be supe- 
rior to Vyatireka Yoga, because it not only 
upenori y o crjygs livlnsf-freedom to the worshipper of 

Anvaya Yoga°^ ^, .^ , 

proved ^^ Saguna Brahma, as it does to the 

Nirgunopasaka Yogi, but it also enables 
the former to reahze His manifestation in the Universe 
by this powerful means of entire resignation to His will 
{Ye tu sarvdni karmdni Mayt sanyasya Matpardh — 
B. G. XII. 6 ). 

6. Although the course of the Lover of God ( Bhakta ) 
is an easy one and the fruit it yields is marvellous, yet 
sometimes owing to previous tendencies the aspirant is not 
able to realize the spirit in the forms for which he has 
a natural attachment. He is, therefore, advised not to 



122 



despair but to give the Personal God lower service by 

practising over and over again the study 

Effect of pre- of the Impersonal Brahma he has already 

vious tendencies, realized {Atha chittam samddhdtum na sha- 

knosi Mayi sthiram / abhydsa yogena tato 
Mdm ichchhdptum Dhananjaya — B. G. XIL 9 ). He is, how- 
ever, asked to do this with a steadfast will to worship the 
spirit pervading matter, in order to reach the Personal God 
alone ( Mdm ichchhdptum ), lest he might fall in the class 
of the Nirgunopasakas or the worshippers of the Imper- 
sonal Brahma. He has, therefore, to practise the Nirguna 
Yoga only until he has thoroughly picked up the Imper- 
sonal nature of God and then he should without loss ot 
time resume the worship of the Personal God by reali- 
zing the Self in all the forms perceived by the senses.. 

This is the Sakhya Rasa or the emotion of 

SakhyaRasaof friendshipof the Vaishnavas. It is not,how- 

fche Vaishnavas. ever, the interested love of worldly friends 

looking for some personal benefit or other, 
but it is the genuine love of the two eternal friends ( Dvd- 
suparnd sayujdsakhdyd — Shruti), the Individual Soul [Jiva) 
and the Universal Soul ( Shiva ) or Arjuna ( Nara ) and Shri 
Krishna ( Ndrdyana ) respectively. The intensity of this 
love may be gathered from the following ejaculations of 
Arjuna: — • "Deeming Thee but friend, whatever I called 
Thee rashly, such as, *0 Krishna ! O YMava ! O Com- 
rade ! ', unknowing this Thy greatness, through careless- 
ness or friendliness and whatever disrespect I have shown 

Thee in jest, at play or meals, while re- 

Arjuna's eja- posing or sitting together, alone or in 

culations. company — for all that O Achyuta ( Unde- 

graded One )! I crave pardon of Thee who 
art indefinable. Thou art the Father of the world, moving 
and unmoving; Thou art most worshipful and the great- 



123 



est Guru; there is none like Thee; whence can there be 
one greater, O Thou whose manifestation is unparalleled 
in all the three worlds. Therefore, I bow with body bent 
and ask grace of Thee, the praiseworthy Lord. Be pleased 
to put up with Me as a father with the son, a friend with the 
friend or a husband with the beloved. Having seen things 
unseen before, I am delighted and yet my mind is sorely 
troubled with fear; show me O God ! that same form. 
Have mercy, O Lord of Gods ! , O Thou who pervadest the 
universe, I wish to see Thee crowned, sceptred with the 
discus in the hand, just as before; O thousand-armed ! O 
Universal Form ! put on that same four-armed shape 
{Sakheti matvd prasahham yaduktam...sahasrabdho bhava 
Vishvamurte—B. G. XL 47-46)''. 

7. If the aspirant is unable to do even this owing to 
the impurity of his Sattva, he is directed to perform the 
necessary duties for the purpose of dedicating them to 
Him ( Abhydsepyasamarthosi Matkarmaparamobhava 
B.G. XII. 10), This is the Bhagavata Dharma of the 
nine-fold duty ( Navavidhd Bhakti) oi hearing {Shrava- 
nam ), singing God's names and praises {Kirtanam ), etc., 
already practised by him in the Jijnasu state, but on ac- 
count of the knowledge of the Self, which he; has now 
acquired, it is called Prema Bhakti or the devotion of 
love. It is the principal thing recom- 

Prema Bhakti mended throughout the Gita in one form or 

another and it is repeated in Chapter 

XVIII. 65 for the last time in the words ^^Manmandbhava 

Madbhakto Madydji Mdm namaskuru'' 

Freely recom- ^ bestow On Me your mind, your love, your 
"^^r^i..^"/ T.!^^' worship and your homage). The aspi- 

vad Gita ( Man- , *^ , •'^ , . "^ ' tt- u 

,v.o«.h^ox,o Tur.A rant has to bestow his mmd on Him by 
luan^bbava Mad- '' 

bhakto &c. ). seeing God or the Self in the Universe as 

one sees gold in the ornaments. If he can- 



124 



jiot do this he must bestow his love on Him by at least 
firmly believing, until he is able to realize, the Self to be 
God. The mode of bestowing one's worship is to perform 
his own duty and offer it as sacrifice to God ( Svakarmand 
iamabhyarchya — B. G. XV I II. 46). In bestowing his 
homage, the aspirant has to act like a Jnani as Arjuna 
did when he was shown the Cosmic Form or Vishvarupam 
on the battlefield of Panipat or Kurukshetra ( Namah 
purastddatha prishtataste namostute sarvata eva sarva j 
ananta virydmita vikrantastvam sarvam samdpnoshi tat o' si 
sarvah // i. c, prostrate in front of Thee, prostrate behind, 
prostrate on every side to Thee, O All ! 
Quotations Thou art of infinite power, of unmea- 
from the Bhaga- ^^^^^ gj^^^y. yj^^^ pervadest all and there- 
vad-Gita, the Ma. ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^jj_g^ ^ ^^ ^^ ^^ j^ ^^^ 
habharata and i.r,Ai,A.. ij^ i. 

o, . -^, . , Mahabbarata too we are asked to show 

Shri Bhagavata . . -. . 

as to how a Jnani reverence to Him who is infinite m space, 
ishould besfcow ^^^ assumes thousands of forms, thou- 
Ms homage. sands of feet, eyes, heads, thighs and arms, 

and thousands of names and who becomes 
all the Individual Souls as well as Time EternaP 
( Ahamevdkshayah kdlo—B. G. X. 33 ) and Time Non-Eter- 
nal ( Kdlah kalayatdmaham—B. G. X. 30 ): i. e., reckoned 
by the rotation and the revolution of the planets such as 
millions of Yugas &c, ( N amostvanantdya sahasra murtaye 
sahasrapdddkskishirorubdhave / sahasra ndmne purushdya 
shdshvate sahasra koti yugadhdrine namah I I ). In connec- 
tion with the Bhagavata Dharma taught to Janaka by 
the Nava ( nine ) Yogis, he is advised to make a bow to 
God remembering that He is the vacuum, air, fire, water, 
earth and all the luminous bodies, individual souls, direc- 

1 Impersonally, God is Eternal Time ( Anddi Kdla ) but 
as efficient cause of the Universe, He is Non-Eternal Time 
( Sriehti, Stbiti and Sanliara Kala ). Vide Page 43. 



125 



tions, trees, rivers, seas, etc., called the Universe, which is 
His body, and also without forgetting that the things unseen 
and unheard of including himself are nothing but God 
(Kham vdyum agnim salilani mahincha jyotinshi sattvdni- 
disho drutnddin / saritsamudrdnscha Hareh shariram yat- 
kincha bhutam pranamedananyah I I). Brahmadeva tells 
Shri Krishna in ^Brahma Stutt that the disinterested 
performance of the duties of one's own caste offered as 
sacrifice to the Personal God begets His love, which, in 
its turn, produces a keen taste for His praises and secures 
the rare knowledge, that the Self who is naturally most 
dear to all is God, the very object of his worship, which 

enables him to secure perfection without 

A Bhakta may resorting to Yoga ( Avashyaken karuniydn 

dispense with vihitcn svakarmen / nishkdma tin Tuja 

^^^^* samarpuni Vishnudharmen U Karmdrpanen- 

chi Tuzi dvadi tydn jandnla j Tuzyd kathd 
maga Hart ruchati taydnld J I Karmdrpanen Tavakathd shra^ 
vanenchi tydnld / Tvadbhaktichd parama durlabha Idbha 
zdld II Atmaikya dvadi Tuzi kalali Mukundd / zdhchr 
siddha nakarunihi yoga dhandd H ). If the aspirant, there- 
fore, does the four things mentioned in the verse ( B, G. 
XVni. 65) now explained, he is sure to come to the Per- 
sonal God alone ( Mdmevaishyasi isatyam ). Shri Krishna 
promises truly, for, Arjuna is sweet to Him ( Te pratijdne 
priyo'si Me ). The Blessed Lord also tells Uddhava in 

Shri Bhagavata that the more one's reason 

Love aloce se- is purified by hearing and singing His 

cures for him glories, the better he is able to see the 

perfection. thing ( Self) which is infinitely minute, just 

as the power of the physical eye becomes 
greater in proportion to the frequency of the application 
ofcoUyrium {Yathd yathdtmd parimrijyatesatil Matpunya 
gdthd shravandbhidhdnaihltathd tathd pashyati vastu suksh" 



126 



mam chakshuryathai'odnjanasamprayuktam j j )• Here, the 
Self is said to be minute {Sukshma) because it cannot be 
perceived by the senses. Otherwise, it is the greatest of 
all {Mahatogariydn-Shruti) As soon as the reason thus 
purified is easily absorbed in the Self, the aspirant should 
continue once more the attempt to realize the Self in the 
Universe until his reason becomes steady. The lover, then, 
would not care for any thing in the three worlds, nor for 
the Vedas themselves, nor for any of the Lower Gods, but 
would direct his mind and senses to the worship of the 
God of Gods who dwells in his heart and in the whole 
Universe (Na Idja Una lokaki / na Bedakon 
arac ens ics f^ahyo kare j na shanka bhuta pretakij na 
Prema Bhakti. Deva jakshate dare // Sune na kdnd auraki:/ 
drisai na aura ichchha nd / kahe na mukha 
aura bdta Bhakti Prema lachchhana / / Sundaraddsa), This is 
the perfection which Shri Krishna says Arjuna would 
attain by the performance of these actions for His sake, 
that is for the purpose of dedicating them to Him {Madar^ 
thamapi karmdni kurvan siddhim avapsyasi-B. G. XI 1. 10). 

8. But if in these duties of a lover of God (Bhdgavata 
Dharma,) which touch action more than knowledge, the 
faint heart of Arjuna fails, he is asked to take refuge in 
Shri Krishna's Divine Power revealed to him in Chapter 
IX {Pashya Me yogamaishvaram) renouncing all action as 
well as desire of the pleasure derived from the senses 
{Athaitadapyashakto'si kartum Madyogamdshritah / sarva- 
karmaphalatydgam tatah kuru yatdtmavdn // B. G. XII. 11). 
This alternative proposal is a second kind of Bh^gavata 
Dharma recommended to one who is anxious to perfect 
his knowledge of the Self, but who, at the same time, does 
not like to trouble himself with any action for the purpose. 
It is, therefore, the so called Jntma Yoga of the Yogis. 
"The meaning of ^^Madyogamdshritah*\ in plain language. 



127 

is that the aspirant should have a firm 
Jn&naYoga conviction that the constant remembrance 
of the fact that the whole Universe is the personal God 
Himself would make his reason steady (Chaitanya kdrana 
jada kdrya/aiseii na sphure tan Bhagavantdchen aishvaryaj 
jaga hen svayen Bhagavantachi nidzd Guruvarya / yd smara' 
nenchi avikampa yoga pivena mi II Aisenhoneti nischita I tyd 
ndnva Bagavadyogdchd dshrita / mhanoni mhane Bhaga- 
vanta / Madyogamdshrita aisd hoya mhanoni / Yathdrthadi- 
pikd). But in order to have such a strong faith {Tatah) 
it is necessary that he must abandon not only all actions 
( Sarvakarma tydgam ), but also the desire of material 
happiness (P/iaZa/3?(^gam) without the satisfaction of which, 
the actions as well as their fruits prove useless. For ins- 
tance, suppose a person secures sugar with great efforts, 
but, before having an opportunity of using it, he gets an 
attack of bile. This deprives him of the happiness which 
he expected to derive from it, because it gives him a bitter 
taste. He, naturnlly, considers both his efforts and 
their fruit, the sugar, to have gone in vain. The real fruit 
is, therefore, not the object gained but the desire of the 
worldly pleasure for which the object is required. The 
expression ^Sarvakarmaphalatydgam* cannot mean here 
*the offering of disinterested actions as sacrifice to the 
Personal God' because Arjuna has already done the service 
after hearing the discourse on Karma Yoga. This, in fact, 
enabled him to acquire Vyatireka and Anvaya knowledges 
(Aksharam Brahma Paramam) in Chapter VIII and the 
knowkdge of the Divine Vo^q>x {Pashya Me Yogamaishva' 
ram) in Chapter IX. What he wants now is only perfec- 
tion (Siddhim), for whicJi he is asked in Chapter XII to 
fix his mind on the Universe as the Form of the Personal 
God (Mayyeva^ mana ddhatsva) and to p' netrate his reason 
1 MadbLaven bLucensamasta/sarvaaa pahaian batata/ Mi 



I2i 



into the Impersonal Brahma that pervades it {Mayi bud- 
dhim niveshaya). If he is not able to do it, he is asked to 
practise the study of the Impersonal Brahma {Abhydsa 
Yoga) and the nine modes of worship {Matkarma paramo 
bhava). But, as he does not like these means, he is sug- 
gested a fresh one, viz., to resort to the Divine Power 
{Madyogamdshritah) he has already realized, the spirit of 
which lies in the constant remembrance that every thing 
is God. This is, however, impossible unless one abandons 

all action, for doing which he alone has a 
^^^^ h 't h^ special privilege {Tatah kuru), and the 

desire of enjoyment {Sarvakarmaphalatyd- 
gam). The mind of the aspirant must also be well-control- 
led (Yatdtmavdn). This means is also repeated in Chap- 
ter XVIIL:66, where Arjuna is advised to let go all duties 
and fly to Him, making Him his single refuge {Sarva dhar- 
mdn parityajya Mdmekam sharanamvraja), the meaning of 
which is that he should do nothing but dip his reason into 
the ocean of the Self and gradually he would find itself 
dissolved into the Self ( Gdra udakdchi udakin j budavitdn 
haluhalu vigharecha kin / taisd sarvdkdra sarvesha fyd utta^ 
mashlokin/jo budideto hoy a ananya tadbhakta// Yathdrtha- 
dipikd). The germ of this course, however, as already 
mentioned, lies in giving up all desire of the pleasures of 

turiya ]0 sarvagata / tethayincliittapraveshe// Ekandthi Bhdga- 
vata, 

Sarvada sarvatmatecben smarana/hencha saguna bhajana- 
chefi lakshana // YatJidrthadipikd. , \ 

Jen jen bhete bhuta / ten ten mani Bhagavanta/ haBhakti- ' 
yoga nischita / jana Maza // Jndneshvari, 

To remember or regard every object you see as the 
Self or Personal God is but a beginning of the Bhakti Toga or 
rather Jnaiia loga of the Bbaktiyogis who actually realize the 
fact as the Supreme Lovers of God, when their knowledge be- 
comes perfect and they enjoy living-freedom (Jivanmukti). 



129 

sense-cbjects or at least in resolving that one does not 
want any such pleasure {Evancha tdkuni sarvadharma / 
sodoni Vedokta svakarma / sharana jdveii tydchen hen 
varma / kin vishayasukhechchhd jari tdki // Te soditdnhi 
sutend / toditdnhi tutend / iathdpi sukha teil nalcige mhanuni 
mand / tydga yuktasddhaken kardvd // Yathdrthadipikd)^ 
Arjuna would thereby make his reason steady for which 
he is so very anxious ( Aisd vishayasukha iydgi / houni 
maga sarva svadharmdsa tydgi I tnaga sarvdtmabhdveri 
yogi I dhydna karitdn bimbald dekhe to tydga // Yathdr- 
thadiptkd ). He is, therefore, told that he should not grieve 
( Md shuchah ), as the Personal God whom he worships 
would truly set him free from both Sanchita and Kriya- 
mana ( Aham tvd sarvapdpebhyo mokshayishydmt ) which 
include sin as well as merit, and would enable him to 
enjoy living-freedom. For, even merit like sm fetters 
by producing births and deaths, although the former yields 
fruit in the shape of worldly pleasures and the latter in 
that of pain. Both are, after all, chains, one of which 
that shines is made of gold and the other which is dim, 
of iron. Unless they are shattered, it is impossible to 
obtain freedom. The words '^Sarva pdpebhyo'* ( lit. from 
all sins) cannot, therefore, refer hete to the sins caused by 
the neglect of one's duties enjoined by the Vedas, especially 
when it is declared emphatically in Shri Bhagavata that 
he, who surrenders himself to the Personal God with a 
firm belief that he is no other than the Self, is nether a 
servant nor a debtor of the Gods, sages ar^d m ines ( Dsvar- 
shibhutdptanrindm pitrtndm na kinkaro ndyamrinicha 
rdjan / sarvdtmand yah sharanam sharanyam guto Mukuti' 
dam parihritya kartam // ). 

g. In addition to the means already given for per- 
fecting knowledge, Shri Krishna suggests one, in Bhaga- 
vad-Git& XVIII. 68 and 69, which is most pleasing to Him 
9 



130 



by saying "He, who shall declare this Supreme Secret 
among My Lovers extolling Love for Me, shall surely 
come to Me. No one is there amongst men who does 
dearer service to Me than he, and there 
Preaching shall never be another on earth dearer 
Love of God. to Me than he" {Ya idam paramam guhyam 

Madbhakteshvabhidhn syatt / bhaktim Mayi 
pardm krilvd mdmevaishatyasanshayah // Na cha tasmdn 
manushyeshu kaschin Me priyakrittamah / bhavitd na cha 
Me tasmddanyah priyataro bhuvi // ). The aspirant who 
without being afraid of any criticism ( Avalambuni Bhaga- 
vadvdkydten / na bhitdn itara ttkd pdnditydteii / shreshtha 
sarvdnta bhakfi, atsen Mdz\d bhakidnien I GUd sdnge^ to 
Mdtencht pdve hd artha // Yathdrthadipikd) declares boldly, 
among the lovers of God, this Supreme Secret ( Ya idam 
paramam guhyam Madbhakteshvabhtdhdsyati ), that is, all 
is Vasudeva ( Vdsudevah sarvamiti ), which is not only the 
substance of the whole Gita but also that of all the Vedas 
( Agd ! heii guhya parama / mathana karuni sarvahi niga^ 
ma I kddhtlen kin sarvahi Micha Purushottama / guhya 
uttamottama hen aisen I I Yathdrt'mdfpikd ) shall without 
the slightest doubt go to Him ( Mdmevaishatyasanshayah). 
But, to secure this result, two conditions 
Its two eseen- are necessary, viz,^ 1st that the Truth 
tial couditions. should be proclaimed in a particular 
manner, viz,^ by extolling the Love cf the 
Personal God ( Bhakiim Mayi pardm krilvd ) and 2nd that 
the secret should be revealed to the Lovers of God alone, 
because others who have no love lor Him will not care to 
know it. In his Commentary on the Shandilya Sutras, 
Svapneshvarasays that in this 68th Verse of Chapter XVIII 
"we have that the result cf the teaching of the doctrine of 
love is the attainment of the state of Brahma". If, how ^ve^, 
^^Bhaktim Mayi pardm kritvd*' is understood to mean "with 



131 



the highest love for Me" or "having shown the highest 
Love for Me*', as suggested by some Commentators, it is 
evident that, when the Love itself without any efforts of 
preaching is bound to draw the devotees close to God, he 
ought to receive some other special fruit of His preaching 
( Kin pardhhakti js^dnen keli / tydsa yd vdnchunihi je prdpti 
holilt I iechi tydtenchi yd nirupanenhi jdli / vishesha kona 
to nirupandchd ? I I Prdpti techi Gitdrtha nirupanen / je 
sarvdtmabhaktichyd dridhapanen / kin Gttdrtha nirupanin^ 
cha abhydsdhivinen j hondra jndniii paripdka, dni dridha 
nishthd bhakiichi // Sarvdtma bhaktichen dridhapana J 
tencha jndna paripdkdchen lakshana / ydchenchi ndnva 
Kamalekshana / nijaprdpti bolatase // Yathdrthadipikd)^ 
which must be acknowledged to be the mo^t important 
factor in the whole affain But such is not actually the 
case. ^Bhaktim Mayi pardm kritvd' shows, therefore, the 
manner in which the secret is to be told and is not an 
additional duty imposed upon the Preacher. Here, if one 
were to say that the aspirant cannot go to God unless his 
knowledge becomes perfect, the answer given is that this 
sort of preaching alone will enable him to make his reason 
steady without the help of the other means sugs^ested for 
the purpose in the Gita, For, nobody can impress upon 
the mind of others the love of God unless he enjoys it him- 
self, and every such effort of his naturally increases his 
own love of the Supreme Being, In Shri Bhagavata also, 
the same reward is guaranteed to those who preach freely 
the love of God among His lovers {Ya etdnmama bhaktC'- 
shu sampradadydt supushkalam / tasydham Brahtnaddyasya 
daddmydtmdnamdtmandj I). The foUowiui^ passages prove 
that the fact is corroborated even by other religions: — 

(i) "Whoever striveth to promote the true r« ligion, 
striveth for the advantage of his own soul; for God need- 



132 



Evidence of eth not any of His creatures." — Al Korattr 
other religions. Chap, XXIX. 

(2) (a) *'0 righteous Mazda Ahura ! grant complete 
bliss to him, who propagates Thy religion by extending to 
him powerful and public aid, that thereby (he) might bes- 
tow on us happiness with all His might.*' — Yasna^ L. 5. 

(6) "The deed that is of the highest rank is the 
imparting of knowledge to deserving students, the originators 
of righteous deeds.— r/i^ Dinkard. The Gathas proclaim 
that by preaching one acquires " better than (common) 
good."— r/ie Light of the Avestd aitd the Gdthds. 

(3) "And if such be the personal influence excited by 
the teacher of Truth over the mixed crowd of men whom 
he encounters, what ( think we) will be his power over 
that select number, just referred to, who have already, in a 
measure, disciplined their hearts after the law of holiness j. 
and feel themselves, as it were, individually addressed by 
the invitation of his example? These are they whom our 
Lord especially calls his " elect ", and came to " gather 
tosjether in one", for they are worthy. And these, too, are 
they who are ord lined in God's providence to be the salt 
of the earth, — to continue, in their turn, the succession of 
His witnessess, that heirs may never be wanting to the 
royal hne, thouoh death sweeps away each successive 
generation of them to their rest and their reward. — New 
iftan's Sermons on Personal Influence^ the means of propa^ 
gating the Truth. 

There is no one among men ( persons who know their 

duty or interest ) who performs dearer ser- 

j j.u vice to God than such a Preacher INacha 
Loved eMcdthe 

GT test Lover tasmdnmanushyeshu kaschin Me priya 
krittamah)f who does not conceal the true 



133 

meaning of the Gita in writing a commentary or in giving 
oral lecture?, and there shall be no other more beloved by 
Him on earth than he (Bhavitd na cha Me tasmdd nyah 
priyataro bhuvi). The words '^ Munushyeshu " (among 
men ) and " Bhuvi'' ( on earth ) show that, as all seats or 
positions in the other worlds are to be earned here only, 
he secures the highest of all, viz., the Anadi Vaikuntha, 
"Man according to the Vedanta Philosophy*', s^ys Swami 
Vivekananda, " is the greatest being that 
Superiority of jg j^^ ^^^ Universe and this world of work 

obZT^'''^^ '''''' the best place in it, because herein is the 
greatest and best chance for him to be- 
come perfect. Angels or Gods or whatever you may call 
them have all to become men, if they want to become per- 
fect. This is the great centre, the wonderful poise, and 
the wonderful opportunity this human life." Shri Krishna, 
too, calls the human body, the field ( Idam shariram Kaun^' 
ieya kshetramityabhidhiyate — B. G. XIII. 2 ), because it is 
the source of all kinds of actions. Whatever is sown in it 
becomes Kriyamana in this life, Sanchita, immediately 
after death, and, when ripe for enjoyment or suffering, appears 
in the form of Prarabdha in another life. By asking the 
preacher to declare the truth among His lovers only 
(Madbhakteshvabhidhdsyati), the Lord guarantees the 
same love and goal to both the preacher and the hearer 
( Tydnta artha vaktd atyanta / priya bolatdn shrotehi 
bolild // Yathdrthadipikd ). Arjuna is, however, warned 
not to reveal this secret knowledge ( Rdjavidyd ) to one 
who lacks deliberation and never to one 
ersons rom ^^^ j^^^ ^^ j^^^ ^^^ ^^^ Personal God ; nor 

whom know- ^ , i . , . ^ , 

, , • 4. u to one who desires not to listen and who 
ledga IS to be 

kept secret. ^^^^ "^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ Guru, nor yet to one 

who calumniates the incarnations of God 

(Idam te ndtapaskdya ndbhaktdya kaddchana / nachdshu- 



134 



shrushave vdchyam nacha Mam yo'bhyasuyati — B. G. XVIII^ 
67 ). Shri Krishna gives the same precaution to Uddhava 
in Shri Bhagavata ( Nat tattvaydddmhhikdya j ndstikdya 
shathdyacha/ ashushrushorabhaktdya durvinitdya diyatdml j). 
The Bible too says " Give not that which is holy unto 
the dogs, neither caste ye your pearls before swine." — 
Matth. VII. 6. On this point Shri Ramakrishna Parama- 
hansa justly observes " A good and experienced preceptor 
does not entrust to a wordly man valuable and exalting 
precepts, for he is to misinterpret and misuse them to 
suit his own meanings." The neglect of such warnings on 
the part of the teacher is the cause of the fatal mistake 
committed by the disciples referred to in the following 
passage : — 

" It is stated of a disciple that he having heard of 

his spiritual guide that Ahura Mazda is 
An unworthy everywhere and in every one, one day 

passed up a road, down which an elephant 
was marching. The driver of it bawled aloud and required 
the disciple to give way to the brute. The disciple with 
a dim perception of the truth he had heard of his said 
guide, did not, saying to himself, *in the elephant is Ahura- 
mazda and He will never injure me.' In a trice, the 
mighty beast bore down upon the recalcitrant wayfarer, 
took him into his trunk, flung him aside unceremoniously 
and strode on. This operation left the disciple with but 
a few bones safe, dazed and in an agony of bitterness. He 
sent for his guide and put it to him how if Ahura Mazda 
were in the elephant, from Him the supremely good, 
injury could have proceeded. The wise one replied "did 
not Ahura Mazda sitting also at the heart of the driver 
warn you unmistakably, to side on ? Ahura Mazda's words 
uttered through his tongue you heeded not and repent ye 
now. — Light 0/ the Avestd and the Gdthds. 



135 



It may be mentioned here casually that ^Ahinsd\ or 

the qualify of not causing huit to any- 
Ahiusa also is , , ' , • j ^ n 

body, by one s mind, talk or action, is one 
a means for mak- r A ji c u- a a *, 

^. of the modes of worship recommended to 

log the reason - - 

steady ^^^ aspirant for the purpose of makmg 

his reason steady, because he realizes the 

individual souls to be the reflections of God (Nasela bim- 

balenjndna/ ahinsd tydsa jndnasddhana / bhajana sar* 

vdnta thora bhajana / ahinsd kin na karaneu parapidd jj Ya* 

thdrthadipikd). It was practised and preached by Jina, 

the founder of Jamisni. Even Lord Buddha referred to 

this means when he declared to his devout disciple Vak- 

kali that '*to know the Buddha one must know the Dhar- 

ma and when the Dharma is known the Buddha is seen." 

10. In Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter XII. 16, Shri Krishna 

gives a description of the aspirant {Jndna 

The character- ^r-xu uj i.- -uj 

Yogi ) who abandons actions prescribed 

. . T by the Vedas because he takes refugee in 

pirant L o v e r -^ ^ 

aeekiog Perfec- -^'^ Divine Power {Madyogamdshritah) 
<jion^ thus: — 'That Lover of Mine who wants 

nothing, who is pure, skilful, unconcerned, 
free from distress, who renounces every undertaking is 
dear to me" (Anapekshah shuchir daksha uddsino gatavya^ 
thahj sarvdrambhaparitydgi yo Madbhaktah sa Me priyah//). 
He abandons undertakings which are expected to give 
pleasure because he renounces the desire of pleasure 
(Sarvdrambha parity dgi). He is said to be without wants 
(Anapekshah) and therefore perfectly indifferent to worldly 
objects. His mind is pure {Shuchi) that is free from the 
desire of sense-objects. Even when he is forced by his 
Prftrabdha to enjoy pleasures against his wishes, his skill 
in being desireless {Daksha) preserves the purity of his 
mind unsullied. He never identifies himself with the body 
nor has he any attachment to his wife aud children, and 



136 



therefore he is always unconcerned ( f/^dsma) while his 
Prarabdha is working. But this indifference d^es not cause 
any affliction ( Gatavyathd ) to him, for, if he had a liking 
for any material object, then only his mind would be 
troubled with the anxiety to secure it or with the pain of 
losing it. Such a Jtiani is dear to ttie Personal God ( Sa 
Me priyah ) hec3iuse he is His Lover ( Yo Madbhaktah) 
which means that God is dear to Him. He reaches perfec- 
tion by the Grace of the Personal God without any 
difficulty. 

II. Shri Krishna describes in Bhagavad-Gita, VI. 31, 
the facility with which the above-mention- 
How easily he ^^ j^.^^ Yogi attains perfection by 
attains Perfec- . uwri. a. ^ u- m. j 

saymg "Whoso takes his stand on oneness 

(with Me) and worships^ Me abiding in all 
beings, that Yogi lives in Me whatever may be his mode 
of living {Sarvabhutasthitam yo Mdm bhajatyekatvamd' 
sthitah I sarvathd vartamdno'pi sa yogi Mayi vartate // ).** 
The Personal God {Saguna Brahma) imagines all beings 
(His thought-forms) and dwells in them. By Vyatireka 
Knowledge, the Yogi realizes Him to be the Self who is 
naturally dearer to everybody than anything else. Wife, 
children, wealth and fame are all evidently dear for the 
sake of the Self. The Sage Yajnavalkya mentions the 
same fact to his wife Maitreyi in the Brihadaranyakopani- 
shad (Na vd are jdydyai kdmdya jdyd priyd bhavatydt' 
manastu kdmdya jdyd priyd bhavati &c. ). When the Yogi, 
therefore, identifies his Self (Ekatvarndsthitah) with the 
Saguna Brahma, enshrined in all, and worships Him, he is 
said to live in Him, no matter what his life may be 



1 Sarvada sarva bbavena nischintairbhagav^neva 
bhajaniyali // Narada Sutra 76. 



137 



{SarvathdvariamdnopV), Just as one who has quaffed a 
cup of nectar has no tear of death, even if he were to take 
a dose of poison, so the worshipper of the Personal God, 
who has realized the essential unity of everything {Sarvdt- 
mabhakta)^ whether he does or abandons all action, has no 
danger at all of falling from Yoga {Tasmdt sarvdtmaka 
dhydnen / yogabhrashta navhekadhin //SamasWofe/), because 
he dwells and lives in Him. This shows the extreme love 
of the Yogi to the Lord, for, without it, his mind would 
never remain steady in him even for a moment. There- 
fore, as one who loves gold views the same in all orna- 
ments so does the votary of God discern Him in the 
various forms, such as those of wife, children, etc., which 
appear before him. Under these circumstances, how can 
they affect him in any way ? This worship of the Personal 
God by the Anvaya Yoga, which is esteemed as our 
highest duty in life, was practised by the King of Lovers 
Prahlad^ and by the great Saint Tukarama^ as may be 
seen from the following quotation: — *'The Supreme Goal 
of Human Life is the blemishless love of God, which con- 
sists in seeing everywhere with unswerving love the 
Personal God, who is the end of all things, just as gold is 
the end of all ornaments." 



1 Of. Janoni nenaten kari niazen mana / tuzi prema- 
khuna denmyan // Maga mi vyavahanfi asena vartata / 
jevifi jala anta padmapatra // Aikoni naikefi nindastuti kanin / 
jaisS, kaa iiiHoani jogir^ja // Dtkhoni na dekhefi prapaucha hi 
drishti / svapnichiya srishti che^'ilja jevsn// Tuka mhaae aisen 
jalijavanchuna / karanen ten ten sina v&fcatase //. 

2. Etavaneva lokesmin pafi^ah svarthah parah smritah / 
ek4atabliakfcirgovinde yat sarvatra tadikshanain // Shri Bhd- 
gavata. 

8. Godap^nefi jaisa }?iila / taisa Deva zala aakala // 4t.an 
bhajon kavanen pari / Deva sabahja antarin // Udaka^egala/ 
navhe taran«ja nirala // Hema alaakara n^oiin / Tuka mhana 
taise Amhin. // 



138 



**As molasses is nothing but sweetness so has every- 

^ ^ ^. . thing become God. How am I now to 

Quotafcious from , . /r^. v ^ ^ , . 

Sbri Bbagavata worship (Him)? God IS everywhere m 
and Sainb Tuka- ^"^ ^^^- The wave is not a bit different 
r&ma. f^^"^ water. Gold is ornament in namef 

SO are we says Tuka." 

12. Thus, as says the ' Gospel of Shri Rdmakrishna,' 
"The two things needed for God-vision or perfect know- 
ledge of God are Faith {Sachchhraddhd) and Self-surrender 
or Perfect Resignation {Prapatuy. The essence of the 
former is sacrifice or disinterested offering of all action to 
God {Nishkdma Ishvardrpana) and that of the latter the 
constant remembrance of the fact that 

ne d7 f ^^'''°' ^^^^^ ^^^"^ ^^ ^°^ ^^ ^^® ^^^^ {Sarvadd 
sarvdtmatechen smarana I hencha Saguna 

vision. . . . 

bhajandchcn lakshana // Y athdrthadipihd). 

But, both of these imply the necessity of the company of a 
qualified teacher {Satsangati)^ for, he alone has a right to 
take the name of God who has a strong liking for the 
company of saints {Rdma ndmake te adhikdri j jinake sata* 
sangata ati pydri // Tulasiddsa. Besides, says Vamana 
Pandita in his Yathdrthadipikd that, it is impossible for 
the knowledge-seeker {Jijndsu) to do the necessary worship 
of God except in the company of saints {Bhajana varnileri 
aisen pari / satsange vina ten asddhya //). So also Shri 
Ramadasa Swami insists upon the aspirant who has rea* 
lized the Self (Arthdrthi) to practise hearing in the com- 
pany of saints for the purpose of attain- 
Both secured jpg perfection (Mand tujald guja re prdpta 
in the compaay ^^^^ . j ^^^^ antarin pdhije yatna kele / sadd 
shravanen pdvije nischayesij dhari sangati 
sajjani dhanya host //). The Shruti (Yasya Deve pard' 
bhaktir yathd Deve tathd Gurau / tasyaite kathitdhyarthah 



13Q 



Worship of fche 
Preceptor as ne- 
cessary as thab 
of God. 



Quofcafcion from 
*Life Science' in 
supporb of the 
necessity of Self- 
realization. 



prakctshante mahdtmanah ll\ therefore, directs us to re- 
ceive knowledge of the Self from the Preceptor and to 
worship him as God so that our reason 
may become steady. Indeed there is noth- 
ing as holy as knowledge in this world ? 
{Nahi jndnena sadrisham pavitramiha 
vidyate — B. G. IV. 38). We are told even 
in the 'Life Science' by Ernest Yates Loomi that 
"Lord Buddha said after long meditation that 
* the cause of all misery is ignorance.' The 
Christ said *The kingdom of heaven 
is within you', indicating thereby what 
the sages of all ages have agreed viz.^, 
that to *know Thyself, is at once the essence 
of wisdom, peace, happiness and power, 
therefore no matter what your aim and 
purpose in life may be, to 'know Thyself is the short 
road to their accomplishment. But the Vyatireka Know- 
ledge of the Self as imperishable Brahma [Aksharam Brah-> 
wo;) and its study or practice (Abhydsa) are imperfect, un- 
less one possesses the Wisdom of Anvaya that all is 
Brahma or the Self. We are asked, therefore, in the 
Uttara Gita II. 9 "to know by the process of Anvaya and 
Vyatireka that the Atma which pervades 
the whole body is beyond the three states 
of consciousness — waking, dreaming and 
dreamless sleep." Even the God of Gods 
in the form of a swan ( Hansa ) tells 
and the other Bhaktas in Shri Bhagavata 
that, so long as a man does not get rid of the differences 
of names and forms by one means or another, though he 
possesses the knowledge of the Self, he should be coasi- 
dered to be ignorant, just as a man who feels hinfiself 
awake in dream is as good as one asleep {Ydvanndndtma- 



Ufcbara Gita re- 
commends both 
Vyatireka 
Anvaya. 

Sanaka 



and 



140 



dhih punso na nivarteta yuktibhih / 
agavaaan jdgartyapt svapannajnah svapne jdgara^ 
Yogavasishthaou ,- . ,, . ^, ^ tt • i ^i 

^, ,, . nam yathd // ). The Sage Vasishtha 

the necessity of , ,, . _. a . , 

Anvaya. dehnes in Yogavasisntha '' Jndnam*' as 

^'Samyagavekshanam*' which means "seeing 
^ell" that is seeing all the beings in the Self ( Ena bhutd- 
nyasheshena drakshysydtmanyathomayi — B. G. IV. 35 ) and 
"Yoga' or Abhydsa as ''Vrittinirodho" or "inhibition of the 
functions of the mind". Thus, 'Jndnam' is Anvaya Know- 
ledge in ''Shreyoht jndnamabhyasdf* or 'Wisdom is better 
than constant practice' in Bhagavad-Gita XIL 12. But, as 
Arjuna has also acquired the Supreme Wisdom of the 
Divine Power (Pasyha Me ycgamaishvaram) in Chapter 
IX, 'Jndnam' means here ^Vtjndnam* ( Supreme Wisdom) 
or the knowledge that *A11 is Vasudeva or 
Vijnanam or ^^^ g^jp ^Sarvdtmaodha). Arjuna, now asks 
c.^.^^1 ^^ why should he thus be forced to have any 

that *AH IS VaSU- . ^ ^^ ^ 1 ^ ^ ^ \ 

^ , practice at all, when he has already secured 

the knowledge of th e Personal God {Saguna 

Brahma)? The reply given is '^Jndndddhydnam vishishyate*\ 

that, is, "Meditation is esteemed higher than Wisdom." If 

there had been no such thing as Prarabdha 

Why IS prac- ^^ j j£ ^.j^^ world were to cease to appear 

tice o oga ^j^^ moment one realizes all to be Brahma, 

(Abhyasa) neces- ^, . rcj-^A-. 

r/ o ir there was no necessity of 'meditation 

sary affcer Self- ^ > r 1 -..rr r 

realization? (DhydnamJ^iox, the differences of names 

and forms would then disappear alto- 
gether, just as the fear of a serpent vanishes for ever, as 
soon as one sees the rope lying in the dark by the help of a 
lamp. But, such is not the fact. For, the form of the 
ornament of the Universe must remain till the period of its 
dissolution, even when the gold of the Self pervading it has 
been realized, and a Perfect Jnani too has to act in confor- 
mity with the tendencies with which he is born {Sadrisham 



141 



cheshtafe svasydh prakriterjndnavdnapi — B.GJIL32), What 
wonder is there, then, if the aspirant, who does not meditate 
on the knowledge he has acquired, fails to secure peace of 
mind ? Here Arjuna takes for granted the ellect of the previ- 
ous tendencies and yet thinks that one who has realized 
the Self cannot but obtain Freedom, forgetting the fact 
that there can be no Freedom without the destruction 
of desires. Shri Krishna, therefore, suggests to him that 
his supposition is wrong by saying that renunciation of 
action as well as that of desire of worldly 
Freedom ira- pleasures transcends meditation ( Dhjdndt 
possible wifchoub karmaphalatMgah). When a J.iaai rea- 
the destruction , r- u ji.^- . 

, ^ . ches periecuon by meditatio:i he is not 

of desires. , / , , . , , t , 

bound to do the actions prescribed by the 

Vedas ( Shauchamdchamanam sndnam na tu chodana* 
ydcharet / anydnscha ntyamdn jndni yathdham h'ayC' 
shvarah jj Shri Bhdgavata ). The aspirant, who t. kes 
refuge in the Divine Power ( MadyogamdshritaPi ), is also 
permitted to abandon such actions ( Tatah kuru ) . AH 
others have to obey the orders on pain of punishment 
( Pratyavdyo ). As regards the abandonment of the desire 
of pleasure ( Phalatydgam ), recommended m Bhaga- 
vad-Gita Chapter XI I. II, it is forced upon tbe a pirant who 
takes refuge in the Divine Power {Madyogamdshrit J^}, but 
in the case of the Jnani who reaches perfection, u is the 
natural result of meditation ( Dhydna ). The Shruti ( At- 
mdnam chedvijdniydd ayumasmiti purushah / kimiclichhan 
kasya kdmdya shariram anusa nchuret //) sd.ys that, if one 
knows the Self and is convinced of the true nature of the 
Self, what can he desire and why will his body move itsei ? 
As soon as the forms of things (Vdsaw^) disappear from the 
mind and the sul tie body ( Sukshma sharlra ) is destioyed 
by meditation and by the renunciation it produces, the Jiaai 
enjoys living-freedom. This idea is expressed by the Wvrds 



142 



*^Tydgdchchhdnttranantaram*' which mean "on renunciation 
follows peace". The force of ^^Anantaram*' is that the 
distance of time between renunciation and peace flies 
away, and loth are experienced at one and the same mo- 
ment For,theShruti {Yadd^ sarve pramuchyante kdmdye'sya 
hridi shntdh j atha martyo ntrito bhavatyatra Brahma 
samashnutej D says, when all the desires buried in the heart 
of man are gone, he who is mortal becomes immortal, that 
is, secures ireedom. This is the peace of mind ( Shdnti ) 
which is the result of renunciation of desires. There can 
be no comparison between this natural peace and the peace 
of the knowledge-seeker (Jtjndsu) or the imperfect Jnani 
( Arthdrthi ) which they have to assume by self-restraint 
in order to obtain knowledge or perfection ( Tatah kuru ). 
In the next Chapter, entitled "Universal Charity", we 
shall find a description of the Lover who has become the 

Impersonal Brahma ( Brahmabhutah ) and 

Universal Cha- who enjoys living-freedom by adopting 

2*1*7. the means for attaining the perfection of 

knowledge given in this Chapter, as well as 
that of the manner in which he practises the Supi eme Love 
of God ( Pard Bhakti ) in order tD be able to secure His 
Eternal Bliss and Companionship inthe Anadi Vaikuntha. 



CHAPTER IV. 

UNIVERSAL CHARITY. 

(Sad-Bsakti). 



^5f7: ?T% ^^5 qPT^]^ ^^^ qTT?^ || 
^cTf T\\ ^Wcfif ^fc^T R^^ gfcf^rR^ 11 

** Becoming the Brahma with Self serene, he neither 
l^ieves nor desires a?iy more; he is the same in all and obtains 
My Supreme Love In belng^s. By that Love he knows Me 
everywhere how great and who 1 am in truth, and then 
knowing Me as I am he enters Into Me after death forever." — 
Bhagavad Qita. XVIII. 54*55. 

I. The mind of the Lover (Bhakta) who has by the 
means suggested in the last Chapter become the Impersonal 

Brahma and who enjoys living-freedom 
Descriptioi. of j^ ^i^^iyg ^appy and cheerful (Braft wa- 
aJivanmukta or ,, . , , ^. ., \ u i. • i. 

bhutah prasaufidtrnd) hec3.yise it is quite 
one who enjoys ^ ^^, ,. r,-^- i-r- 

Imng-freedom. ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ qualities of Rajas and Tamas 

and sees everywhere the Self than which 
nothing is dearer to it- Hts joy may be compared to that 
of the fish on land, which is distressed for Wit r, when it 
is put into the sea, or to that of a man who, when he is 
about to be devoured by a tiger or attacked by a band of 
thieves in his dream, becomes suddenly awake and finds 



144 



that it was his own mind that had assumed the various 
forms he dreaded. It is said in Shri bhagavata that this 
world of individual souls created by God by reflecting 
Himself into his vehicle of Pure Sattva resembles the 
creation of dreams by the individual souls in their sleep 
by means of their mind ( Yathd shaydnah purusho mana" 
saivdtmamdjayd / srishtvd lokam param svdpnam anuvi' 
shydvabhdsute //). While enjoying the pleasure which he 
gets unasked, for, he never seeks them, he is not sorry for 
having them {Na shochati) and does not quarrel with his 
Prarabdha, nor is he on that account anxious {Na kdn-^ 
kshati) to retire from the world and live in solitude. The 
Varaha Upanishad calls him a Jivanmukta in whom^ 
though participating in the material concerns of the world, 
the Universe is not seen to exist like the invisible Akasha, 
and the light of whose mind never sets or rises in misery 
or hap[.iness, and who does not seek to ch inge what hap- 
pens to him ( Bdhya na dekhe drishyadarshana / antarin 
navhe vishayasphurana / dehinchen na dekhe dehapana / 
Jivanmukta lakshana yd ndnva // Ekandthi Bhdgavata\ 
The meaning of ''Na shochati; na kdnkshatV* in the text, 
however, cannot be that he does not lament the loss of 
anything and long for gain, because he possessed these 
qualities even when he was a Jijnasu ( knowled-e-seeker ) 
or Artharthi ( aspirant seeking perfection). Now that he 
has become perfect he does not light shy of Pravritti and 
does not thirst for Nivritti as he did when he was practi- 
sing Yuga. Fcr, he is himself every wheie the same [Samak 
satveshuj Truth, viz., Brahma in all material forms 
which are diverse and illusive {Vishama} just as the oceaa \ 
is in the waves. 

2. In Chapter II. 54 of the Bhagavad-Gita Arjuna 
asked bhri Krishna four questions, viz., ( I j What are the 



145 

characteristics of one whose reason is steady and who 
Fourqueefciona ^^ fixed in concentration, O Keshava ? 
of Arjuna regard- (2) How does One with Steady reason 
ing the character- converse? (3) How sit ? and (4) How move 
isbica &c. of a about ?" ( Sthifaprajnasya kd bhdshd 
Sthitaprajna or satnddhisthasya Keshava / sthitadhih kitn 
one whose reasoD prabhdsheta kimdsita vrajeta kirn // ). Shri 
has become Krishna replies *When a man, O Partha !, 
•beady. abandons all the desires interwoven in 

his mind and is content in the Self with the Self 
alone, then is he called of steady- 
Ana w e r to reason* {Prajahdti yadd kdmdnsarvdn Pdr- 
^^ ^h^ ^^^ wawogaf^n / dtmanyevdtmand tushtak 
sthitaprajnastadochyate //). When a man 
has a general dislike for all wordly 
things, he is deemed a fit candidate for knowledge 
{Jijndsu). When, in due course, he acquires knowledge 
and works for perfection {Siddhi) his mind sometimes, 
owing to previous tendencies ( Purvasanskdra\ thinks of 
external objects. He is then required to control it by 
means of practice {Abhydsa) and dispassion {Vairdgya)^ 
Such a man is called an Initiate {Arthdrthi). He, whose 
Pure Reason easily assimilates with the Eternal and who 
enjoys such Infinite Bliss of his own Self that he regards 
all worldly pleasures as something he has spitted out and 
which it is impossible for him to accept again, is said to 
he Feriect {Siddha) and of steady reason {Sthitaprajna)^ 
As to the state of his mind during the time he enjoys plea- 
sure and suffers pain awarded to him in accordance with 
the law of Karma as a result of his actions in the past 
lives, the Blessed Lord says 'The meditating Initiate whose 
mind is not distressed amidst pains, who has no longing 
amidst pleasures and wtio is freed from affection, fear and 
anger, is called of steady reason' {Duhkheshvanudvigna- 
10 



146 



mandh sukheshu vigatasprihah / vitardgabhayakrodhah 
sthttadhirmuniruchyate // B. G. II. 56). An Initiate is 
called here a Muni^ because he tries to become Perfect by 
means of Manana (meditation). He is said to be of steady 
reason, when, even while suffering unbearable pain, his 
mind is not at all agitated thereby, nor does it ever occur 
to him that a similar calamity may not befall him again, 
and, while enjoying pleasures, he is not in the least puffed 
up and he never thirsts for more. He is free from love of 
material things {Vitardga) because he loves intensely his 
own real Self. He is fearless because he knows by expe- 
rience that the body and the external objects are all 
unreal. He is without anger because he is indifferent to 
worldly pleasures and pains and has no occasion to blame 
anybody. The answer given to the second 

question about his talk is, *His reason is 
«econa question , , , , , , 

*How he con- Steady who has attachments nowhere and 

verses ?' who, come what may, good or ill, is no 

elated with joy nor distressed with aversion* 
( Yah sarvatrdnabhisnehastattatprdpya shubhdshubham f 
iidbhinandati na dveshti tasya prajnd pratishthitd/ /B.GJUy). 
What will such a being speak? Can we expect him to indulge 
in the idle prattle of the world for which he has no attach- 
ment whatever ? When he does not identify himself, like 
the ignorant, with his body itself, what will he talk about 
the wife or children or wealth or house of that body ? Why 
will he open his mouth at all, who feels no exultation if 
anything agreeable happens in life or who finds no reason 
to curse his fate on the occurrence of any disagreeable 
event ? And yet, there is one subject on which this great 
soul, whose reason is steady, does not fail to converse, 
when a proper occasion presents itself. The subject is 
the Love and praises of God or the Knowledge of the Self, 
and the occasion is the company of a person who is either 



147 

a knowledge-seeker {Jijudsu) or an aspirant seeking per- 
fection [Arthdrthi) or a Perfect man who enjoys living- 
freedom {Jivanmukta), The third ques- 
Answer to .- err u -^ • \f • 

,, . , ^. tion, VIZ., 'How he sits or remams ? is 

fcbird question ,. i 

'How be sits' ? replied thus: — 'His reason is steady when 
he withdraws his senses from the objects 
of sense, as the tortoise does its limbs all round* {Yadd 
sank ar ate chdyani. kurmo*ngdniva sarvashah / indriydnindri' 
ydrthebhyastasya prajnd pratishthitd — B. G. IL 58), The 
difference between a Perfect man and an ordinary man in 
this respect is that the former is able to draw back with- 
out the least difficulty his senses from the external objects 
as soon as the necessary or unavoidable enjoyments of 
lawful pleasures, offered unsought, is over, as the tortoise 
easily draws in and out its limbs or as a ball hit against a 
stone wall rebounds the moment it touches it, whereas the 
latter sticks permanently to the objects of sense as does a 
ball to the mud wall against which it is bit. An Initiate, 
who has not yet acquired so much control over his senses, 
must, before he becomes perfect, meditate constantly on 
the point that the senses and their objects are no other 
than the Self he has realized. Here some doubts arose in 
the mind of Arjuna which Shri Krishna answers to the 
satisfaction of the disciple in verses 59-67 and establishes the 
proposition that his reason is steady whose senses are fully 
restrained from the objects of sense {Tasmddyasyamahdbdho 
nigrihitdni sarvashah J indriydnindriydrthebhyastasy a prajnd 
pratishthitd // B. G. IL 68). The answer which Arjuna re- 
ceives to the fourth and last question as 
Answer to fourth ^^ ^^^^ ^^le Perfect Jnani moves about or 
question *How he conducts himself is:— ''What is the night 
moves about'? ^^ ^jj beings, there the Self-controlled 
man is awake; and where all beings are awake, that is the 
.night of the right-seeing meditator" [Yd nishd sarvabhiitd" 



148 



ndm tasydm jdgarti sanyami / yasydm jdgrati bhutdni sd 
nishd pashyato munch jj B. G. //. 69 ). The Self about whom 
every body is in utter ignorance ( Nishd lit. night ) is what 
one whose reason is steady has by Self-restraint fully re- 
alized, whereas, the material things of which everybody 
is fully conscious, the Initiate who has acquired perfection 
by meditation sees as darkness {Nishd lit. night). He 
lives in the Self, he eats in the Self, he drinks in the Self, 
he wakes in the Self, he dreams in the Self, he sleeps in 
the Self, he talks in the Self, he laughs in the Self, he 
weeps in the Self, in short, he does everything in the Self 
of whom all the rest know nothing. On the other hand, 
the material world, with the minutest details of which 
every human being is perfectly familiar, he also sees— but 
how ? — without the desires and passions, just as we see 
after sunset darkness without the objects lying in the dark* 
A lady fond of outward show is charmed with the fascinat- 
ing shapes of the different ornaments in a goldsmith's 
shop, but not so the shroff, who looks only to the quality 
and quantity of gold they contain. Similarly, a cow alone 
runs after green tender grass but not the cowman whose 
dinner of bread and ddl (pulse) is in his hand-bag. Exact- 
ly so, when the ignorant worldly men are tempted by the 
various objects around them, the Self-controlled man sees 
nothing but the spirit which pervades everywhere. 

3. Shri Ramanujacharya's doctrine of Perfect Resig- 
nation {Prapatti) removes from the love of 
Eesulb of Shri ^^iQ Artharthi (aspirant seeking perfection) 
Ramanujachar. ^j^^ ^^j remaining defect of Condition 

yas 'Doctrine of ._,. .,^ . , . . , . - . 

Perfect Reaigoa- ^iV./^./^a) by givmg him perfection of 
tion' (Prapatfci). Knowledge {Jndnastddhi ) and living-free- 
dom {Jivanmukti), At this stage, the 
love becomes pure or defectless and the lover the 
Impersonal Brahma Himself ( Brahmabhntah ). Shri 



149 



Same as the 
Universal Chari- 
ty or Sadbhakti 
of the Amourists. 



Madhvacharya then comes forward with his Sadvaish- 
Shri Madhva- navism ( true worship of Vishnu or 
<)haryas *Sad\rai- the Personal God ), i. 6., 'direct perception 
flhnavism'. qj- cognition of the Lord' which, adopting 

the language of the Bible, we call Universal Charity {Sad- 
bhakti ). It is the same thing as the Vdt- 
salya Rasa (Parental Emotion) of the Vai- 
shnavas, or Pard Bhakti (Supreme Love) 
of the Bhagvatas, or Bhakti Yoga ( the 
Path of Love) of the Yogis {Bhuteshu 
Madbhaktim labhate pardm). The importance of this Cha- 
rity or Love is pointed out by St. Paul in his 'First Epistle 
to the Corinthians' already quoted in Page 6i, Even 
St. P a u r s ^hri Krishna tells Arjuna in B. G, XL 53-54 
that He can be realized in the way 
he has done, not by the Vedas nor by 
penances nor by gifts nor by worship, but it is by 
Blemishless Love alone that He can be 
known, seen and entered into {Ndham 
Vedair na tapasd na ddnena na chejyayd / 
shakya evam vidho drashtum drishtavdnasi 
Mdm yathd/l Bhaktyd tvananyayd shakya ahamevam vidho*- 
rjuna / jndtum drashtuncha tattvena praveshtuncha Par art" 
tapa II ). This Love is said to be the Vatsalya Rasa 
( Parental Emotion) of the Vaishnavas 
because it is the Love of the Individual 
Soul, who has become the Impersonal 
Brahma, to the Personal God, who is, as 
it were, born of Him. It is, therefore, not 
the divided {Vyavahitd) Love which worldly parents have 
for their several children and which ceases as soon as 
their interests clash, but it is the undivided and unceasing 
love of a widow, who has no chance of getting any 
more issue, to her only son who is the sole source of hJ^ 



•First Epistle to 
thje Corinthians'. 



Shri Krishna 
calls this Love 
*Ananya Bhakti. ' 



Why is this 
Love called *V^t- 
flalya E^sa' by 
the Vaishnavas ? 



150 

]oy {Vidhave St eka suta / aharnishin tethen chitta / / Taisd 

tun maja ekald / nako mokalun Vitthald.// Tukdrdma), "The 

^ , -, ^ Christian and the Hindu'*, says Swami Vi- 

Baby Jesus and , ^ _ , ,. ., , . , 

Baby Krishna vekananda, " can realize easily the idea of 

loving God as a child, because they have 
the Baby Jesus and the Baby Krishna.'' 

4. As regards Para Bhakti or the Supreme Love of 

the Bhagavatas, it: will be seen from the following passages 

from the lectures of Swami Vivekananda 

Para Bhakti ^^^^ |^ jg ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^j^^ Universal Cha- 

of the Bhagava- ^j ^^ Sadbhakti of the Amourists. 

tas 18 the same , . ,,^, , 1 -r^, , , , 

., TT • 1 W Thus when the Bhakta or the devotee 
as the Universal ^ ^ 

Chariby of the succeeds in appropriating to himself the 
Amourists. ^liss of this kind of Supreme Love, he also 

begins to see God in everything and his 
heart becomes an eternal fountain of Love. Therefore, as 
we reach that higher state of Love, all differences between 
the things of the world will be entirely lost. Man will na 
more be seen then as man, but only as God; the animal 
will be seen no more as an animal, but as God; and the 

tiger even will no more be seen as tiger^ 
SwamiViveka- ^^^^ ^^ ^ manifestation of God. Thus, 

nanda s deacrip- 1 • • rr i ^ 1 x 

p , worship IS OTiered spontaneously to every 
Bhakti ^^^^ ^^^ every being in this intense 

state of Bhaktij as the Scripture says — 
*Knowing that Hari, the Lord, is in every thing, the 
wise manifest unswerving Love towards all beings' 
(Evam sarveshu bhuteshu hhaktiravyahhichdrini / kartavyd 
panditairjndtvd sarvahhutamayam Harim l/)*\ (2) "Prahlada. 
says, 'That abiding Love which the non-discriminat- 
ing have for the fleeting objects of the senses, may 
I have the same^ sort of Love for Thee, may not that 

1 Jaisi abhiruehi vishajin taisi jari ghadi ghadela Bhaga- 



151 



pleasure vanish from my heart as I think of Thee." 

^ , ,., We see what a stroner Love, men, who do 

PrahUda's Defi- ^, u .... u r t.- . 

nibion of Par§. ^^^ know any better, have for sense-objects, 

Bhakti. for money, dress, for their wives, children, 

friends, possessions, what a tremendous 
clinging they have to all those things. So, with this defi- 
nition the Sage says, ' I will have that attachment, that 
tremendous clinging, only for Thee. And this Love when 
given to God is called Bhakti. In Shri Bhagavata too, 
the Lover, who sees the Self or God in all beings and all 
beings in the Self or God, is deemed the best Bhagavata 
(Sarvabhuteshu yah pashyedbhagavadbhd' 

The beat Bh&- vamdtmanah / bhutdni Bhagavatydtmanye- 
^*^^ ** sha Bhdgavatottamah // ). This Love, 

which is the result of the worship of the Personal God 
(Saguna Brahma) even after Self-realization, is described 
thus by the Saint Tuk3.T3.mB.:—'' Dhydnin dhydtdn Pandha- 
rirdyd / mandsahita pdlate kdyd // Tethe^i bold kainchi uri / 
mdzen mipana zdld Harijl Chittachaitanyin padatdn mithi j 
dise Harirupa avaghi srishti // Tukd mhane sdngon kdya / 
ekdekin Harivrittimaya //.*' 

^. The following extract from the Essays on the Gita 
by Babu Aurobindo Ghose gives a complete 

BabuAurobin- idea of the Bhakti Yoga of the Yogis by 

^. .' °^Vt^,. ? tracing its connection and oneness with the 
cnpfcion of Bhak- rr ^r -. ▼ a *r ,,^, 

M Yoffa Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga:- "The argu- 

ment of the Gita resolves itself into three 
great steps by which action rises out of the human into 
the Divine plane leaving the bondage of the lower for the 
liberty of a higher law. First, by the renunciation of desire 
and a perfect equality, works have to be done as a sacri- 
fice by man as a doer, a sacrifice to a deity who is the 

vantin / tari maga kaya unen tuja chari Paiushartha r^ba- 
tila gharin // Moropanta. 



152 



supreme and only self though by him not yet reailzed in 
his own being. This is the initial step. Secondly, not 
only the desire of the fruit, but the claim to be the doer 
of works has to be renounced in the realization of the Self 
as the equal, the inactive, the immutable principal and of 
all works as simply the operation of universal Force, of the 
Nature-Soul, Prakriti, the unequal, active, mutable power. 
Lastly, the Supreme Self has to be seen as the Supreme 
Purusha governing this Prakriti, of whom the soul in 
Nature is a partial manifestation, by whom all works are 
directed, in a perfect transcendence, through Nature. To 
him Love and adoration and the sacrifice of works have to 
be offered; the whole being has to be surrendered to Him 
and the whole consciousness raised up to dwell in this 
Divine consciousness so that the human soul may share 
in His Divine^ transcendence of Nature and of His works 
and act in a perfect spiritual liberty. The first step is 
Karma Yoga, the selfless sacrifice of works and 
here the Gita's insistence is on action. The second is 
Jnana Yoga, the Self-realization and knowledge of true 
nature of the Self and the world, and here the insistence 
is on knowledge; but the sacrifice of works continues, 
and the path of works becomes one with but does not dis- 
appear into the path of knowledge. The last step is 
adoration and seeking of the Supreme Self as the Divine 
Being, and here the insistence is on devotion; but the 
knowledge is not subordinated, only raised, vitalised and 
fulfilled, and still the sacrifice of works continues; double 
path becomes the triune way of knowledge, works and de- 

1 Of. »laiiav& to nara Devachi f^arJ.Sra / v4che nirantara 
Rama Rama // Sagunin padbhava, nahin jn&nagarva / tay& 
l&gin sarva sarikhecbi // Nindaka vandaka sagata s&mbhSli / 
maita ^arva k&lin pS.latena // Pudhilyasi sad^ sukba deta &he / 
npak&rin deha lavitase // Lavitase deha R^mabhajanftsa / 
Ramir^madaaa Haribhakta //. 



153 

votion. And the fruit of the sacrifice, the one fruit still 

placed before the seeker is attained, union with the Divine 

Being and oneness with Supreme Divine Nature". 

^ ^ ., "Bhakti Yoga", says Shri Ramanujacharya, 

, . ,, ™^°^^ ' "is the crown of the edifice; Jnana Yoga 

chary^s idea of r-. jt^v j 

the three Yogas. Prepares one for it, and Karma Yoga des- 
troys undesirable Karmic affinities and 
purifies one's heart." In Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga, 
the Love of God is only a means to an end, viz.<t Know- 
ledge and Perfection respectively, whereas in Bhakti Yoga 
it is the end itself ( Svayam phalarupateit — Ndrada Bhakti 
Sutra ), as may be seen from the following quotation 
from * An Introduction to Yoga by Annie Besant ": — "To 
the mystic, God in Himself is the subject of search, 
delight in Him is the reason for approach- 
akti Yoga j^^g fjij^,^ union with Him in consciousness 
o e ys ics. j^ j^j^ Qq^^j. i^^^ ^^ ^^le Yogi, fixing the 
attention on God is merely an effective way of con- 
centrating the mind. In the one, devotion is used 
to obtain an end, in the other, God is seen as the 
end, and is reached directly by rapture." The Bhakti 
Yoga is, therefore, nothing but the Sadbhakti of the 
Amourists, which, as Vamana Pandita says, is nei- 
ther the dualistic love of the ignorant 
Vamana Pan- worshippers nor the love of the Nirguno- 
f ^ A\l w ^°° pasakas who do not hear and sing the 
praises of the Personal God, but it is the 
pure Love of the Wise Lovers or Jn^-ni Bhaktas ( /Ifwrf 
sarva jadaprakdshaka asen lokin bahu jdnati / jdnoni shrw 
takirtanddi Sagunapremd manin nenati// Koni te Sagunincha 
nishta pari hd dtmd priya Shri Hari / aisen Bhakti rahasya 
nenati na he Sadbhakti dohin pari //). 

6. Thus, it will be seen that what we call Universal 
Charitj; {Sadbhakti) as well as the Vdtsalya Rasa ( Parental 



154 



Emotion), Pard Bhaktt ( Supreme Love ) and Bhakti 
Yoga ( Path of Love ) are all one and the 
Universal Cha- ^^^^ It is the purest love of the Wise 
rifey, Va^salja L^vers ( Jnani Bhaktas ) described as 
' ^ \^ ' Vdsudevah sarvamitt (Vasudeva is all) 
Bhikti Yoga are ^^ Chapter VIL 19 of the Bhagavad-Gita. 
^11 Qjjg It is on account of the importance that is 

attached to this highest love of God 
throughout the Gita that it is called the Bhagavad- 
Gita and not Krishna Gita or any other Gita. For, 
^Bhaga' means the world ( Jaga ) and the Infinite 
Being, viz., the Self, who manifests it, is its pos- 
sessor or master ( Bhagavanta ). It 
MeaniDgof the jg ^j^^ ^^^^ ^f ^j^j^j^ jj^ jg the ocean. 

^ZZ and^'v^u '^^^^^' ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ ornament of the 
, , six qualities of Power, Law, &c., {Aishvar- 

yasya samagrasya dharmasya yashasah 
shriyah / Jndnavairdgyayoshcheti shanndm bhaga iti Smri' 
tihil) and its gold is Bhagavanta, who is the Self of all. As 
the waves are the body of the ocean and as the ornaments 
are the body of gold, so is this world or Bhaga the body of 
Bhagavanta. Similarly, as the thread dwells in a piece of 
cloth, clay in an earthen vessel and gold in a king's crown, 
so does Bhagavanta dwell in beings. He is, therefore, 
called ''Vdsudeva\ i.e., the God who dwells in all. The mean- 
ing of the formula of twelve letters, viz., ^Om nanto Bhaga- 
vate Vdsudevdya' taught by the sage Narada to the child- 
devotee Dhruva is thus explained by Shri 
The formula of Krishna in the words 'Mdm prapadyate 
twelve letters. Vdsudevah sarvamitV (worships Me believ- 
ing that all is Vasudeva) in Chapter VIL ig of the 
Bhagavad-Gita, where ^Mdm' means the world, which is 
His form, and ^Vdsudeva* the Self who dwells in it. Such 
a worshipper is said to be "great-souled and peculiarly 



155 



rare*'(St7: Mahdtmd sudnrlabhah—B,G. VIL 19), because, as 
he is not a separate entity from God, he is rare [Dtirlahhah) 
to others, but to him God has become easy (Sw, i. e,, Sula- 
bhah) by revealing^ Himself. It may be noticed here that 
the ornament of Bhaga or the world in the gold of the 
Self is the Divine Power which Arjuna is asked to see in 
Chapter IX. 5 {Pashya Me yogamaishvaram). 

7, This unique Love, however, is the privilege (Bhw 
teshu Madbhaktim labhate pardm^B. Go 
This Love is XVIII. 54 ) of only that aspirant seeking 
the privilege of perfection (Arthdrthi) who, even after Self- 
those who coiiti- i-,^- r^i r i-i- 

realization, for the purpose of makmsf his 
aue the worship . ^. ^ , . - r> 

of the Pers n 1 ^^^son Steady, contmues the worship of 
God evea after ^^^ Personal God {Mayyeva mana ddhatsva 
Self-realization. ""^- ^' -^^^- ^ ^^^ ^Dhydnayogaparo nityam*' 
B,G. XVIII. 52) in addition to that of 
the Impersonal Brahma {'Mayi buddhim niveshaya'-B. G. 
XIL S, and ^Buddhyd vishuddhayd yukto dhritydUndnam 
niyamyacha' — B. G. XVIII. 51). The point is made more 
clear in Chapter XIV. 26 of the Bhagavad-Gita, where 
Shri Krishna says "He who worships Me too with unadul- 
terated Love, transcends these qualities and is fit to be- 
come the Personal God*' {Mdncha yo'vyabhichdrena Bhakti- 
yogena sevate / sa gundn samatityaitdn Brahmabhuydya 
kalpate //). The meaning of this verse, in plain language, is 
that he (Sa), who after Self-realization continues the 
worship of the Personal God {Mdncha yo'vyabhichdrena 
Bhaktiyogena sevate ) along with that of the Impersonal 
Brahma, passing beyond these: qualities {Gundn samati- 

1 Jari ha ho kripa karila Narayana / tari henchi jnana 
Brahma hoy a // Kothoniyafi kaiihin nalage an^ven / nalage 
kotheii javefi taravaya // Jari Deva kanhifi dharila pain chit- 
tin / tari liechi hoti divyachakshu // Tuka mhane Deva d^vila 
Apana / tari jivapan^* thSiVa nab in //. 



156 



iyaitdn), qualifies himself to become Saguna Brahma {Brah- 
mabhuydya kalpate) or the Personal God. For, some Jnanis 
give up the worship of the Personal God as soon as their 
purpose of realizing the Self has been served, and practise 
the worship of the Impersonal (Nirguna) Brahma alone. 
They too cross over the qualities but the 
Tbe difficulties ^^^^j^ j^ ^^^ ^^^^^ j.^^. ^^^^ {Klesko' dhika- 

noDasakas have tciyccsteshdni avyaktdsakta chetasdm — B. G. 
to encounter. XII. 5), because they do not receive any 

assistance from the Personal God on 
account of His having assumed the nature of the Kalpa- 
vriksha, and have to depend upon their own eiforts for 
success in their spiritual progress. Shri Krishna, there- 
fore, advises Arjuna to continue the wor- 
Shri Krishna g^ip of the Personal God as he would 
advises Arjuna thereby secure His assistance {Teshdm 

, . . ,, Aham samuddhartd — S. G. XII » 6 ) and 
worship of the . _.. - r i 

Personal God for ^"^^^ speedily to the State of the sur- 
4wo reasons. mounter of the qualities. Another reason 

for which this double worship is recom- 
mended to Arjuna, who has already realized the Self, is 
that it secures after death Eternal Bliss and Companion- 
ship of God in His Supreme Abode, viz., the Anadi 
Vaikuntha, whereas the worship of the Impersonal Brahma 
alone causes the Jnanis to merge in it after losing, on the 
dissolution of their physical bodies, their Shuddha Sattva 
which practically means Bliss. 

8. The Lover {Bhakta) who by the perfection of 
knowledge becomes the Impersonal Brahma ( Amrita 
phala hen pike / sarva Hari henchi nike / ) realizes himself 
to be, as the result of his Love, the Personal God and 
enjoys the wonderful Love of everything as God or the 
Self ( Pahtlen dpanachi Nirgunabrahmabhuta / maga 
dtmapratiti karuni dpanachi Bhagavanta j Atmatven sarva 



157 



hhutin priti adbhufa / pdvald^ tichenchi ndnva te Bhakti 1/ 
Yathdrthadipikd). Then, by means of, or 
The Lover rather by the development of, this 
(SaguDa Bhakfca) Supreme Love of God ( Bhaktyd ) alone, 
realizes himself ^jthout further assistance of the Pre- 
fco be the Per- ^ / o j t . 

1 ^ , ., ceptor ( Sa eva vedyam nacha tasya 
sonal God as fche ^ ; ., ,, t - • T^t_ w i- 

TT- . . vettd — Shrutt)^ the [nam Bhakta realizes 

universe, i.e., en- " •' 

joys His Supreme the Personal God everywhere ( Mdm 

Love. abhijdfidti — B.G. XVIII. 55) as the mate- 

rial cause, that is, knows his third aspect 

(the first being His Cosmic Form and the second the 

Form of His Incarnations ), viz,, that 

The result of ^^^^ ^3 Personal God He is Impersonal 

the development ^ ^^^ bhaktichydhi paripdken karuni / 
dpanachi Saguna sdksht mhanoni / nirdkdra 

dtmdcha Sagunatven olakhoni / kritakritya koto // Ya- 

thdrthadipikd )• For, he grasps without 

The three as- hands, moves without feet, sees without 

pects of the Per- g 3^^^^ \\Q^.vs without ears ( AMni 

sonal God. •' . ^ . ^ , ^ ^^^ ^ 

pddo javano grahita pashyatyachakshuh 

sa shrunotyakarnah — Shruti). This cannot be a descrip- 
tion of the Impersonal Brahma, which is evidently devoid 
of the qualities of seeing and hearing. Besides, the Shruti 
distinctly refers to the Personal God by saying that He is 
the Being who manifests Himself at the 
Such a Love beginning of all creations ( Agryam Purw 
is deemed the sham purdnam — Shruti). In Shri Bhaga- 
highest in Shri vata, too, such a Lover of the Personal; 
Bhagavata. God is deemed the highest by Shri 

Krishna ( J ndtvdjndtvd' tha yevai Mdm 
ydvdn yashchdsmi yddrishah j hhajantyananya bhdvena 
te Me bhaktatamd matdh // ). Now, how does he know 
Him everywhere by that Love ? The answer is that he 
knows how great He is and who He is {Ydvdn yashchdsmi), 



158 



"that is, he knows that even as Personal God He is 

^, ^ infinite both in space and time, because 

The Lover re- ^^ ^ -r^ ,...,.. , , 

alizes that even ^^^^'^ ^' Praknti IS beginnm-less and 
as Personal God endless as the spirit or Purusha is, and 
he is the Infinite that His own nature is at the same time 
tatoT^^^"^ ^^^ Impersonal, just as an ornament is nothing 
but gold {Mi jitakd inhanaje ananta / 
tyd Maja anantatven jdnato nishchita / dni jo Mi aisen 
mhanaje gunarahita / Nirgunachi Mi aseri Sagunapandntahij j 
Jevi pdhatdn alankdra J ase sonen nase dkdra / taisd Saguna- 
tvinhi Mi Sarveshvara Nirgunachi asen // Yathdrthadipikd). 
He knows the Personal God ' Tattvatah ' or 'in essence *, 
that is, he knows both the parts of Him, viz,, the Brahma 
( the true thing ) and Maya ( illusion), but when it is under- 
stood that the latter has no real existence, only the Brahma 
remains. Thus, realizing ( Tato Mdm tattvato jndtvd) the 
Personal God as the Infinite and Impersonal spectator of 
everything {Eko Devah sarvabhutdntardtmd / sdkshi chetd 
kevalo nirgunashcha // Shruti ), he passes his time in His 
worship till his physical body is alive, and after its dissolu- 
tion he enters into Him permanently ( Vishate tadananta* 
ram). As a matter of fact, he did enter into the Personal 
God the very moment he realized all His 
After death he aspects, but as he was forced to return 
goestotheAnadi ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ to the body to enjoy as an 
individual soul the fruit of his past actions 
( Utkrdmantam sthitam vdpi hhunjdnam vd gundnvitam — 
JB. G. XIV. 10), his entrance after the exhaustion of his 
Prarabdha is said to be final. The meaning, in plain lan- 
guage, is that he goes to the Anadi Vaikuntha ( Ye yathd 
Mdm prapadyante tdnstathaiva bhajdmyaham — B, G. / V. 7 / ), 
where he assumes the form of the Personal God ( Mama 
sddharmyamdgatah — B. G. XIV. 2) and enjoys His Eternal 
Bliss and Companionship. 



159 



g. The characteristics of a Wise Lover {Jndni Bha- 
kta)i as given in Chapter XII of the Bhagavad-Gita, are as 
follows: — He bears no ill-wilP to any being (Adveshtd 
sarvabhutdndm). It is impossible for this Perfect man to 
hate any being, because he sees the Self plainly in all 
^ , , movable and immovable things. He is, 

aracerisics j^Qwever, regarded as a friend (Maitrah) 
of a Perfect ,, ti-, ,, ,^ 

J ^ . by those who desire knowledge and free- 

dom, because he helps them to secure their 
wishes, although he is himself compassionate to all 
{Karuna evacha)^ in as much as he sees them to be the 
forms of the Personal God. He acquired these qualities by 
remaining without attachment (iV7>m<2:mo), that is, by never 
calling his wife or children or wealth to be his own. The 
feeling, that this or that is mine, estranges one from all 
others including God Himself. Its cause, however, is 
Egoism, from which the lover in question is entirely free 
{Nirahankdrah). He identifies himself neither with the 
Tamasa body, nor with the Rajasa senses, nor with the 
feeling of Ego {Aham) produced by the impure Sattva. 
He recognises himself to be the Self who pervades every- 
thing and who is realised by means of the pure Sattva, 
which is beyond the feeling of Ego {Ahamsphurti). The 
Shruti says ^Aham Brahmdsmt\ because the Self cannot be 
expressed in words without 'Aham* (Ego). In the same 
way, we call Self-realization as God-vision, although it is 
impossible to see God as He is an Infinite Being. We 
are told in Shri Bhagavata ( Dyupataya 

eva te na yayurantamantatayd tvamapi ) 
<]rod bub never , ^ 3 tt- ir j , , 

, „. „ that even God Himself does not know 

hnow Him. ^ • j 

His own end. This does not prove Him 

1 Kony&hi jivacha na ghado matsara / varma Sarvesh* 
vara pojan^chen // Tukarama Maharaja 



160 



to be ignorant, for, He knows full well that He is infinite, 
which means that He has no end. For this reason, it is 
written in the Kathopnishad "I do not say that I know it. 
I do not say that I do no tknow it. He who knows this truly 
knows." How can a wave see the ocean ? And yet, it can 
become^ the ocean by merging itself into it. Swami Vive- 
kananda, therefore, says, in his 'Inspired Talks', "We can 
be God but never know Him". Now, although the Wise 
Lover has become Brahma himself, he has to enjoy the 
pleasures and suffer the pain allotted to him in the shape 
of Prarabdha as the result of his actions in previous lives. 
While doing this, he never entertains a liking for pleasures 
or an aversion for pain. He is, thus, the same in both 
{Santa duhkha sukhah ), although when the hour of 
enjoyment or suffering comes, he actually feels the 
pleasure and pain, just as all ignorant people 
do, for, without such a feeling, the Prarabdha 
will not be exhausted {Prdrabdha karmandm bhogddevc^ 
kshayah — Shruti). The sting, however, lies in the solicitude 
to have the same pleasures again and in the dread of the 
recurrence of pain, from both of which he is free. When 
he sees all to be the Self, with whom can he get angry ? 
He is, therefore, ever ready to forgive {Kshami) even the 
greatest wrong done to him. He is one whose mind is at 
all times in union with the Self {Yogi) and so he is always 
content {Santushtah satatam). His mind is not disturbed 
by the variegated forms of the universe, because 'it is 
directed to the Self that pervades it {Yatdtma) and it 
remains steady, because his firm resolution is {Dridhanish- 
c/jaya/t) that the Self alone is the joy of all joys and the 
gain of all gains. And yet, outwardly he looks^ like a 

1 Vastuchi houni rahane / aisen vastuchen pahanen // 
Mdmaddsa Swdmi. 

2 Bahya sadhakache pari / ani svarup&k&ra antarin // 



161 



student {Sddhaka)^ though really he is a master, free from 
all doubts and desires. So far, the characteristics of the 
Wise Lovers are in common with those of the Nirguno- 
pasakas. Shri Krishna, therefore, mentions now those 
that are peculiar to the Lovers alone in the words ^Mayyar- 
pita mano budhtr yo Me Bhaktah sa Me 
ecu lar char- pyiyaW which mean, in plain language, 'with 
a r ics o a j^j^ mind he sees the forms of the Personal 
ii^& I Ttu M. ^ God and with his reason the Self that 

(Jnani Bhakta). 

pervades them, for which reason he is God's 
Lover, and He being of the nature of the Kalpavriksha, 
cannot but love him/ This distinguishing mark is clearly 
pointed out by the Saint Tukarama thus: — ''Bhaktiprema- 
sukha nenave dnikdn / pandita vdchakdn jndniydnsi Jj 
Atmanishtha jari jhdle Jivanmukta / tari bhaktisukha dur- 
labha tydn // Tukd mhane kripd karila Ndrdyana / faricha 
hen varma pade thdven //". *'The body of the Lover is the 
result of his previous Karma (Prdrabdha) and the body of 
the Personal God is the result of His own Will, but the 
Self in both is one and the same. That is why Shri 
Krishna says in the 17th verse of Chapter VII that He is 
supremely dear to the Wise Lover and he too is dear to 
Him {Prtyo hi jndninoHyarthamaham sacha Mama priyah)^ 
In spite of all these] noble qualities, one may think that 
people are likely to be afraid of him as they are of the 
*Tapasvis' (ascetics) who possess the power to do them 
harm by their curses. We are told, therefore, that, through 
the Lover, the world is not agitated ( Yasmdnnodvijate 
loko\ for, who would fear him who can drive away 
the fear of births and deaths and make men fearless ? 
But, if you say that people are not afraid of cowards too, 

Siddha lakshana ten chaturin / janije aisen // Sandeharahita 
sadhana / tenchi siddhanchen lakshana // antarbahya sam^- 
db^na / dialen^ aisen // Ddsabodha, 

II 



162 



the reply is that as he has no worldly desires at all, he 
does not care for any of the Lower Gods or men (Lokdnno- 
dvijate cha yah) from whom he expects nothing. For this 
reason, he is not overjoyed {Marsha) with the acquisition 
of anything agreeable, nor does he get angry or envious 
(Amarsha) when anything disagreeable happens or when 
he sees any body prosper. He is ever free from fear and 
anxiety ( Bhayodvegairmukto). Such a Lover too is natu- 
rally dear to God {Sa cha Me priyah). The outward symp- 
toms of a Wise Lover are given by Lord Gauranga thus: — 
**The cultivation of Bhakti chastens the nerves and fills 
the heart with joy. This joy is carried by 
Outward symp. the chastened nerves to all the parts of 
toms of a Wise ^^^ ^^^^^ ^j^^ ^^^^^^ ^p^^ ^j^^ ^^^^ .^ 

pulak, and upon the eyes and nose a flow 
of water. When the flow of joy is too great, the Bhakta 
falls down in a swoon. Even when a Bhakta is compara- 
tively free from the immediate influence of Bhakti, he is 
never deprived of small currents of joy that are constantly 
passing through his frame. This makes him jolly, mirth- 
ful and frolicsome." 

lo. The ignorant act recklessly and believe that they 
themselves do everything. They are consequently fet- 
tered by the chains of action. Shri Krishna, therefore, 
mentions in verses lo and ii of Chapter V of the Bhaga- 
vad-Gita the nature of the actions which the Knowledge- 
seeker {Jijndsu ) does and the way in which he is freed 
from bondage, thus: — "He, who abandons attachment, and 
performs actions offering them to Brahma, 
Th9 Knowledge- jg untainted by sin, as a lotus leaf by the 
see era e ica- waters. The Yogis, abandoninsf attachment, 
tion of actions • r r^ ^r •? . 

to God. perform actions for Self-punfication, with 

the body, the mind, the reason and the 
jsenses held aloof* {Brahmanyddhdya karmdni sangam tyaktvd 



163 



Jzaroti yah / lipyate na sa pdpena padmapatramivdmbhasd J J 
Kdyena manasd buddhyd kevalairindriyairapi j yoginah 
karma kurvanti sangam tyaktvdtmashuddhaye // ). The 
Knowledge-seeker {Jijndsu)^ who does all his religious, social 
and personal duties disinterestedly ( Karma kurvanti 
sangam tyaktvd ) and dedicates them to the Personal God 
( Brahmanyddhdya karmdni ) for the purification of his 
heart ( Atmashuddhaye ) by holding a firm belief that he 
is not the doer of actions and by desiring nothing but 
Knowledge and Love of God, is unstained by this sin in 
the form of merit (for even merit fetters, if not duly offer- 
ed as sacrifice to God ), as the lotus-leaf is unmarred by 
the waters in which it appears ( Lipyate na sa pdpena 
padmapatramivdmbhasd )* The religious duties he per- 
forms are divided into four classes: — 1st Those with the 
body, such as bathing and prayers {Sndna sandhyd ); 2nd 
those with the mind, such as meditation 
e re igious ^^ ^^^ ^ Bhagavaddhydna); 3rd those with 

^ , , the reason, such as ascertainment of the 

Knowledge — 

^QQ^Qj,^ truth that the love of God alone secures 

knowledge and freedom and 4th those with 
the senses^, such as hearing and celebrating God's name. 
The senses of the Knowledge-seeker (JijndsuJ 3ve called 
^Kevalaih* (free) in the text, because though they are na- 
turally prone to the sense-objects they turn off from them 
to this disinterested sacrifice. As to how the Aspirant 
who has realized the Self and who seeks perfection {Ar- 
thdrthi) watches that he is actionless, when the same ac- 
tions as those of the Knowledge-seeker {Jijndsu ) are 

1 Cf . Gheifi ghein maze vache / goda nama Yithobacheil // 
!Tnmlii ghyare dole sukha/ paha Vitbobachen mukha// Tumlii 
;aikare kaoa / mazya Vithob§,che gnna // Man^ tethen dlianva 
ghein / rahen Vithobache pajin // Tuka inhaae jiv^ / nako 
sfiodiin ya Keshava // 



164 



being done by him, the Bhagavad-Gita says, *The attuned 

essence-knower thinks 'I am doing nothing 

DedicafcioD of ^^ ^jj, j^ g^^j^^g^ hearing, touching, smell- 

e spiran see - . eating, moving, sleeping, breathing, 
mg pertecfcion. , , . , . . . . 

talkmg, lettmg go, graspmg, openmg or 

closing the eye-lids; he holds that the senses deal with the 

sense-objects" {Naivakinchit karomtti yukfo manyeta tattva^ 

vit / pashyan shrinvan sprishan jighrannashnan gachchhan 

svapan shvasan // Pralapan visrijan grinhannunmishanni- 

mishannapi j indriydnindriydrtheshu variant a iti dhdrayanj j 

V. 8&9). One who has realized the Self (rfl:^^vfl:v/0 and who 

is duly engaged in constant study of the Self {Yukto), but 

who has not yet attained to perfection, remembers that he 

is actionless and thinks by means of his reason that he 

does nothing^ when the various operations of the organs 

of perception and action and of life-breaths, such as those 

of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, 



1 **The Gita can ODly be understood, like any other great 
work of the kind, by studying it in its entirety and as a deve- 
loping argument. But the modern interpreters have 

laid an almost exclusive stress on the idea of equality, on the 
expression Kartavyam Karma^ the work that is to be done, and 
on the phrase 'Thou hast a right to action, but none to the 
fruits of action' which is now popularly quoted as the great 

word, the Ma/iava%a, of the Gita What is the work to 

be done is not to be determined by the individual choice; nor 
is the right to the action and the rejection of claim to the fruit 
the Great Word of the Gita, but only a preliminary word 
governing the first state of the disciple when he begins ascend- 
ing the hill of Yoga. It is practically superseded at a subse- 
quent stage. For, the Gita goes on to affirm emphatically that 
the man is not the doer of the action; it is Prakriti, it is Na- 
ture, it is the great Force with its three modes of action that 
works through him and he must learn to see that it is not he 
who does the work." — Essays on the Gitd by Bahu Aurohindo^ 
Ghose. 



165 



slumbering, breathing in and out, speaking, throwing out 
excretions, etc., giving and taking things with the hands 
and opening and shutting eyes are going on. How then 
does all this happen ? The conviction of his reason is 
{Dhdrayan) that this is nothing but the play of the senses 
amidst their objects, ix., the eyes indulge in forms, the ears 
in words and so on. As Arjuna had already realized the 
Self, he was warned, in Bhagavad-Gita, XVIII. 57, not to 
follow only the preliminary way of dedicating actions to 
God recommended in the case of the Knowledge-seeker 
(Jijndsu) but also to have recourse to the union of his 
reason with the Self (Buddhiyogamupdshritya) in every- 
thing he does. To turn to the actions of the Wise Lovers 
their true nature is explained clearly by Babu Aurobindo 
Ghose in the following passage taken from 
BabuAurobiD- hig gggays On the Gita:— "We are told 

^. .. ^, , continually by many authoritative voices 
cription of the ,, , ,, r^-,/ • • ^1 • .i. j- 

, ^, that the Gita opposmg m this the ordmary 

nature of fche ac- . . , r t j- 

Mods of the Wise ascetic and quietistic tendency of Indian 
j^oYQv, thought and spirituality proclaims with no 

uncertain sound the gospel of human 
action, the ideal of disinterested performance of social du- 
ties, nay, even, it would seem, the quite modern ideal of 
social service. To all this I can only reply that very 
patently and even on the very surface of it the Gita 
does nothing of the kind, and that this is a modern 
misreading, a reading of the modern mind into an 
ancient book, of the present day European or Euro- 
peanized intellect into a thoroughly antique and tho- 
roughly oriental and Indian teaching. That which the 

Gita teaches is not a human but a divine action the 

action of the best, the God-possessed, the Mastermen 
done impersonally for the sake of the world and as a 
sacrifice to Him who stands behind man and Nature." Re- 



166 

ferring to the actions of these God-men and their Sacrifice^ 

Shri Krishna says thus: — "When the sacrifice is Brahma, 

the ghee and grain are Brahma, the fire is 

Gifca on the g^^hma and by Brahma the offering is 

method of the , , , , ,, , i^ n i. 

^. ^ , poured, to none but Brahma shall he go, 

Wise Lover'8 ^, ,.,. ^, i,, 

dedication ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ Brahma alone 

[Brahmdrpanam Brahmahavir Brahmdgnau 
Brahmandhutam / Brahmaiva tena gantavyam Brahma- 
kannasamddhind // B. G, IV. 24). The principal aim of 
the Bhakta in doing action at all is to sacrifice it to the 
Personal God. This act of sacrifice, which is a mere 
wave of delusion, merges in the ocean of Brahma and be- 
comes Brahma itself. The sacrificial offerings and fire 
which represent the several instruments necessary for 
action as well as the doer of the sacrifice appear to him as 
Brahma, just as ornaments, pots and a piece of cloth ap- 
pear to be gold, clay and thread respectively. This is 
simple enough to understand, for, the effect is nothing but 
the cause, as may be seen from the example of the flame 
which issues out of fire and vanishes into it again. Even 
during the period of its existence, it presents itself in the 
form of fire and through fire only. Thus, one who sees 
Brahma in action goes to the Personal God as his goal. 
For, the Shruti [Yadd pashyan pashyati Ruhnavarnam 



1 Kasiyanefi puja karun Keshiraja / hachi sandeha maza 
phedin atan // Udaken nhanun tari svarupachi Tuzen / tetheii 
Deva mazen kaya venche // Gandhacha sugandha pushpacha 
parimala / tethen mi durbala kaya vahun // Vahuii dakshin^ 
pari dhatu N"ar3.yana / anna Parabrahma dujen nahin // Gaton 
to onkara tali nadeshvara / nachavay^ thara n^hifi kothen // 
Phaladata tuncha tambola akshat4 / tethen miii Ananta kaya 
vahun // Tuka mhane Hari avagheil Tuzen nama / dhupa dipar 
Kama Krishna Hari //. 



167 



kartdramisham Purusham Brahmayonim / tadd vidvdn 
punyapdpe vidhuya niranjanah paramam 

Resulb of the sdmy amup ait idivy am H) sa.ysth^t when the 
dedicatioD. Aspirant {Vidvdn) has acquired a practical 

knowledge of the Self {Vyatireka) and when he sees 
(Pashyan) the Self in the whole universe {Anvaya) and 
meditates on the Saguna Brahma {Pashyati Rukmavarnam)t 
he, after destroying all his Karma in the shape of merit 
and sin {Punyapdpe vidhuya), assumes a body of Shuddha 
Sattva, similar to that of the Personal God, and enjoys His 
Eternal Bliss in His Supreme Abode, the Anadi Vaikuntha 
( Paramam sdmyamupaiti divyam )• 

II. "The fortune of dispassion", says Ramadasa 

m,^ r . V Swami, "is the highest of all the fortunes 
dis assion man may boast to possess {Mahatbhdgya 

hdtdsi dlen J taisen vairdgya utpanna jdlen // 
Ddsabodha). When one declares sincerely that he 
wants nothing, it implies that he possesses or at least 
has the satisfaction of possessing everything. But such 
is the law of nature that everything unasked goes to the 
person who wants nothing, as may be seen from the ex- 
ample of the sea to which all waters run without any 
solicitation on its part {Apurymdnamachalapratishtam sam- 
udramdpah pravishanti yadvat j B. G. 11. 70). Therefore, 
Thomas a'Kempis says, "Keep this short and complete 
saying 'Forsake all, and thou shalt find all.' Leave con- 
cupiscence and thou shalt find rest." We also find in 
Mrs. Besant's ^ Yoga as Practice* that "When a man has 
really renounced, a strange change takes 
^uo a ions rom pi^^Q^ On the Path of Forthgoing, you 
Thomas aKem- . r t r .i - o c ^ 

pis and Mrs. Be- ^"^^ ^^^^ ^^^ everythmg you want to get; 
g^^jj * on the Path of Return, Nature pours her 

treasures at your feet. When a man 
has ceased to desire them, then all treasures pour down 



168 

upon him, for he has become a channel through which all 
good gifts flow to those around him." The following is a 
further illustration of the Truth: — Once upon a time 
there lived in Southern India a learned Brahman who was 
very poor. With the object of getting wealth, therefore, 
he performed several 'Gdyatri Purascharanas'^ with puncti- 
lious care, but nothing came out of them, 
wami 1 ya- j^^ disgust, he renounced the world and 
^^.^ became an Ashrama Sanny&si. The mo- 

ment he took the holy orders, Lakshmi, 
the Goddess of Wealth, appeared before him in person, but 
he did not care to look at her. When he found her, how- 
ever, to be very courteous, he asked her the reason of her 
not coming before. In reply she said with an air of gravity 
"Look at the yonder hill of your sins in conflagration ! 
When your ^Purascharanas*^ could scarcely burn a little 
corner of that great hill, how could you expect me to come 
and see you ? Your renunciation, however, has set the 
whole hill on fire and made you sinless. I am, therefore, 
now at your service and prepared to give you anything 
you want.*' The Sannyasi, who afterwards became 
the famous Vidyaranya Swami, was satisfied with the 
answer, thanked her for her kindness and bade her to 
depart, as he wished to ask nothing from her. But, as 
she would not go away without granting him a gift {Vara)^ 
to please her he expressed a desire to have a shower of 
Gold Mohurs for a few seconds in commemoration of the 
event. The boon was readily granted. Some of the 



1 Repetition of the Gajatri Japa, a certain number of times 
every day for some stated period, is called a GSjatri Puras- 
charanam. 

2 It is to be understood, however, that the *Paraschara- 
Has' helped him indirectly in securing renunciation. 



16Q 



Mohurs, which were picked up by the people who happen- 
ed to be present on the occasion, are still said to be found 
in Canara and the adjoining parts. The moral of the in- 
cident is plain enough, Dispassion holds exactly the 
same position in spiritual matters as wealth does in mat- 
ters relating to the material world. For, as the material 
prosperity of an individual is judged by 
ispassion the amount of wealth he possesses, so is 
^ . . .^ ^^^ his spiritual progress to be ludged by the 

position m spin- ^ r f- j- . ^ .. u 

^ J Strength of his dispassion. But, how is 

wealth does in ^^^^ dispassion {Vairdgya) to be secured 
matters relating ^y ^he Knowledge-seeker ? The reply is 
to the world. that he gets it by abandoning work with 

motives (Kdmyatydgen virakti — Yathdrtha- 
dipikdj. His dispassion {Vairdgya), therefore, consists in 
regarding all sense-objects as sources of pain {Tayd vaird' 
gydchen kdrana / vishayin doshadrishti sampurna jj RangU' 
ndthi Yogavdsishtha). Now, how does he obtain the 

Love of God. (Bhakti) ? By performing 
. ! ispassion disinterestedly all his religious, social and 
i BhaUi ) ' d P^^sonal duties and by offering them as 
Knowledge (./wa- sacrifice to God {Ishvardrpana phalatydgen 
wa) of the Know- Bhakti-Yathdrthadipikd). His love con- 
ledge-seeker, "sists in hearing and singing the names 

and glories of God in the company of saints. 
He is fully conscious of the Personal God's nature of the 
Kalpavriksha and always offers prayers to him as foUows:- 
"O Merciful Lord ! let me never think of sense-objects, 
let me always have a longing for Thee, destroy all my desires 
and give me the Supreme Love of Thy Lotus Feet" {Devd 
nako vishayavdsand / godi Tuzicha Idgo mand / iodi sakalahi 
kdmand / de Bhakticha Tuziydpdydncht // Yathdrthadipikd)* 
His Knowledge {Jndna) is the theoretical knowledge of the 
meaning of the Scriptures [Svddhydya jndna — B. G,IV. 28) 



170 



acquired by the study of the various commentaries under 

the guidance of a qualified master. The Dispassion ( Vai- 

rdgya), Love ( Bhakti ) and Knowledge 

The Dispas- (/^^^^) of the aspirant seeking perfection 

mon, Love and (^^^;^^^^;,,) are defined by Shivar^ma 

Koowledgeofthe ^ a . ^, .,t\- • • ^.u 

. ^ , . Swami thus: — "Dispassion is the recogni- 
aspiranb eeekiog . ^ , i . 

perfection (Arth- ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ and the sense-objects as 
drthi), mere illusion; Love is the directing of the 

purified reason to the Self; Knowledge is 
the realization of the Self as Existence, Consciousness and 
Bliss" {Vtshaya indriyen jada olakhanen techi Vtrakti / 
chaitanydkade vritti phiravanen yd ndnva Bhakti // Mi chid' 
gham. vrittipratiti shuddha ten Jndna j ydpari trivenichen 
nitya kardven sndna // ). Better kind of dispassion than 
that of the Knowledge-seeker is, according to Shri Rama- 
krishna Paramahansa, that which arises from consciousness 
that all worldly blessings, though within one's reach, are 
transitory and not worth enjoying* Shri Ranganatha 
Swami also says that, for one who has realized the Self, the 
only means for preserving dispassion {Vairdgya) is to feel 
every moment that the world does not really exist {Aneka 
sddhanen sddhitdil / kahiucha vairdgya nupaje chittd / jaga 
hen mithyatven jdnatdn / vairdgya tattvatdn puma hoye //)• 
If the aspirant is not able to reahze the Self in material 
objects he should always regard them as the forms of the 
Personal God, so that his reason may easily become steady 
{Madbhdven bhuten samasta j sarvadd pdhatdn satata / Mi 
turiya jo sarvagata:/ te thdyin .chitta praveshe // Ekatidthi 
Bhdgavata). This is his Love of God. His Knowledge, as 
stated in the Nir^lamba Upanishad, is "The realization 
by direct cognition of the fact that in this changing 
universe there is nothing but Chaitanya, that is, conscious-^ 
ness, that is of: the form of the seer and seen, pervading 
all things, that is the same in all, and that is not subject 



171 

to changes like pot, cloth etc/' Lastly, the Dispassion,, 
Love and Knowledge of the Wise Lover 
The Dispas- ^ jndni Bhakta ) are all one and the same, , 
sion Love and ^-^^j^^ realization of the Personal God 

Knowledge of , /rr -t . ^ , t* # 

,. y^. T everywhere [Hrtdaytu vishaydnchd abhdvo j 

are all o e sarvdn bhutin Bhagavadbhdvo / he vai^ 

rdgya yukti pahdho / .jethePl sddhakd nir' 
vdho Madrupin 1 1 Ekandthi Bhdgavata). Swami Viveka- 
nanda says that the higher Love and the higher Know- 
ledge are one, and Swami Rama Tirtha observes that the 
word 'Renunciation' is synonymous with Knowledge {Bhak' 
tih pareshdnubhavo viraktiranyatra chaisha trika ekakdlah / 
prapadyamdnasya yatha* shnatahsyusUtshtih pushtih kshu- 
dapdyo'nughdsam // Shri Bhdgavata), Shri Narayana 
Maharaja says, at the end of his 'Shdnti Sdgara\ that the 
Love of the Lover, who becomes Wise by means of the 
efforts necessary for perfecting Knowledge, enables him to 
realize the Personal God in all movable and immovable 
things, which is always the purest Dispassion, as well as the 
most unswerving Consciousness or Knowledge, devoid of 
all idea of form and perfectly attuned {Bhakti asi sthtra- 
charin Harirupa pdhe / chittin sadd parama shuddha virdga 
rdhe jj Avyagra chitta gatavdsana vashya hoten / jo yafna^ 
shila muni tyd nijaldbha deten // ). Love [Bhakti)^ Know- 
ledge {Jndna) and Dispassion ( Vairdgya) are, thus, the 
three great means of securing freedom {Kin Jndna bhaktivai- 
rdgya / jydnsa te mukti pdvati sabhdgya jj Yathdrthadipikd). 
12. There are three kinds of Karma (action): — (i) 
Three kinds of Prdrabdha^ "^hich is SO much of past ac- 
Karma or action, tions as has given rise to the present 
S, (2)SrnchUa ^^^^^^ (2) Sanchita, the balance of past 
and (3) Kriya- actions that will give rise to future 
mana. births; and ( 3 ) Kriyamdna^ acts being 

done in the present life. These last leave impressions 



172 



on the mind or reason which are added to the Sanchita 

on the death of the physical body. About these 

impressions Swami Vivekananda says as follows: — 

"Using the simile of a lake for the mind, 
Impressions of j^ ^^^ ^^ g^jj ^j^^^ ^^^^.y ^.jppj^ ^^ ^^^^ 

nyama-na ex- ^^^^ rises On its Surface does not die out 

!fthe simUeTf ^^^^^^^y ^^^^ '^ subsides, but leaves a 
^ 2^g mark behind or a future possibility of the 

rising of similar waves on it. Whatever 
may be its nature, this mark of the possibility of 
the wave's reappearing is what is called ^Sanskdra'. 
Every work that we do, even to every movement of 
the body, every thought that we think, leaves such 
an impression on the mind-stuff and even when such 
impressions are not obvious on the surface, they are suffi- 
ciently strong to work beneath the surface, sub-conscious- 
ly." The Kriyamana and Sanchita are 
The Kriyama. destroyed by Knowledge {Tadadhigama 
naan ^"^ !^^ uttara purvdghayorashlesha vindshau tad* 
are ea oy vyapadcshdt — Brahma Sutra), but the Pra- 

Knowledge, but ^^ u . ji i 

Prarabdha musfc ^abdha must be exhausted by enjoyment 
be exhausted' by alone { Pfdrabdha karmandm bhogddeva 
e n j o y m e n ^t kshayah — Brahma Sutra). Therefore, in 
alone. B. G. XVIII. 6o, Shri Krishna, while speak- 

ing of Prarabdha, which is inevitable, uses 
the word 'Nibaddhah' ( bound fast ) and not ^Baddhah* 
(bound) which may be safely applied to Kriyamana and 
Sanchita, as, before they are turned into 
Force of the Pj-^rabdha, one can get himself liberated 
word 'Nibaddha' ^^^^ ^j^^^ ^y realizing the Self through 
^g Q ■ * the Grace of the Preceptor and by making 

his reason steady {Apichedasi pdpebhyah 
sarvebhyahpdpakrittamahl sarvam jndnaplavenaiva vrijinam 
santarishyasi jj Yathaidhdnsi samiddhognir : bhasmasdt* 



173 



kurute'rjuna / jndndgni sarva karntdni bhasmasdt kurute 
tathd Ij B. G. IV. 36 & 37). The similes used here show 
that the first verse refers to ^Kriyamdna' and the second 

to ^Sanchita\ Just as a man sitting in a 
•How Kriya- ^^03.1 sees water all around him, but it dare 
manais destroy- j,ot touch any part of his body, so too, 
ed 18 explained r. j Ti i. r .• ., 

b the simile of ^^^ ^ sorts 01 actions, even the 

a^man situlg L ^.^^^t imaginable, and sees by the light of 
a boat. l^is knowledge that he is actionless, has 

nothing to fear from them, because they 
are thus powerless to generate any Kriyamana {Vrijinam) 

for him. The word ^Vrijinam' literally 
The word means *sin*, but here it conveys the idea 
S'Ki?"a"d Of '«"«"*' also, for, both have to be 
j^gji^j destroyed in order to be free from re-births. . 

It may be mentioned here that a Jnani 

has to cross over the ocean of sin by means of 

the ship of Knowledge only { Jndna plavenaiva ) 

and not by any of the penances prescribed in the 

Shastras for the ignorant. If he troubles himself with 

^ them, there is danger of his losing the 

Penances use- ^r i i i i i j • j j r 

J r , . Knowledge he has already acquired and of 

offa jLwJsins^ ^^^ identifying himself again with the body 
{Je jndnandvenen tarati / tydnsa anvaprdyas- 
chittin I adhikdra ndhin kin Gangdtatin yasati / te kdn jdti 
tirthdntard // Jndniydsa anya updya / ie jditdve apdya / to 
pdpasamudra taroni jdya / jndnenchi 1 1 Yathdrthadipikd), 
The most important result of Knowledge, however, is to do 
away with 'Sanchita\ which consists of the merit and sin of 
millions of past lives, as even a Knowledge-seeker 
{Jijndsu) makes himself free from aportiou of the Kriya- 
mana by offering disinterested actions as sacrifice 
to the Personal God. As the kindled flame feeds 
on fuel, dry as well as wet, till it sinks to ashes,. 



174 



so does the 

A portion of 
the Kriyamana 
of a Knowledge- 
seeker is destroy- 
ed by offering 
disinfc e r e s t e d 
actions as sacri- 
fice to God. 



The destruction 
of Sanchita is 
explained by the 
simile of a kindl- 
ed flame. 



fire of Knowledge reduce every act, 
righteous or sinful, to ashes. Thus, 
Arjuna is told that, what he, misled by 
delusion, desires not to do [Kartum nech- 
chhasi yan mohdt)^ that very thing he 
would do even against his will {Karishyas- 
yavasho'pitat). Nobody likes poverty or 
sickness, and yet, when one gets them uncalled, he has to 
submit to his fate quietly {Han gd rogu 
kdi rogiyd / dvade daridra daridriyd / pari 
bhogavije baity d^ adrishten jenen // Judne- 
shvari: ). Arjuna now thinks that 
action as well as nature, being a mere 
illusion, cannot have any power to force 
him, who is the Self, to fight against his wishes. Shri 
Krishna, therefore, tells him that the Lord of the Universe 
sits always as a silent Spectator, in the heart, or rather 
reason, of all beings and causes them to enjoy the fruit 
of their own actions by whirling round 
their bodies, mounted on the wheel 
of Prarabdha, by pulling the strings of the 
reason itself ( Ishvarah sarvabhutdndnt 
hriddesheWjuna fishthati / bhrdmayan sarva 
bhutdni yantrdrudhdni mdyayd // B. G. XVIIL 61). The 
meaning of this, in plain language, is that God Himself 
dwells in the reason of mankind and guides it according 
to their Prarabdha or past dictions {Buddhih karmdnusdrini). 
"Plant a mango tree*', says Thakur Haranath, "and it will 
produce mangoes in time; will you grieve 
that it does not bear jack-fruits ? Per- 
haps nobody will ever do so. Mango 
plants will bear mangoes, jack-fruit trees 
will bear jack-fruits; and so on. Let 
nobody grieve for it; if anybody do, he 



How God forces 
1)he Individual 
Souls to enjoy 
their Prarabdha? 



Working of 
Prarabdha ex- 
plained by illus- 
trations from 
Thakur Hara- 
loath's w orks. 



175 

■would only be laughed at as one off his head. It is 
the same with our body; this body is sprung from the 
seeds of Karma ( previous deeds); these will germinate 
and in time bear fruit, in their turn; some of these 
fruits are sweet while others extremely bitter. It is 
for this that one should never be overwhelmed with 
the joys or sorrows of this world. What will be, must 
be; what I have to suffer, I must suffer; it can never 
be otherwise; what need have we, therefore, to waste our 
time in fruitless cares ? Should we not rather think of 
how to avoid falling again (in future) under the clutches of 
such stern and inviolable laws, of how to become a con- 
stant companion of Krishna in the ever delightful grove of 
Brindaban, — than waste our time in such fruitless cares?" 
National peace and prosperity as well as wars and epide- 
mics are the results of what is called collective Karma,/, e., 
the good or bad Karma done conjointly by several indivi- 
duals who enjoy the reward of its merit or suffer the pe- 
nalty of its sin at one and the same time. It would be use- 
less for Arjuna, therefore, to oppose Pra- 
C 1 1 e c fc i V e j.^^^^ j^^^ ^t^j^h though powerless in itself, 
^^^^' becomes most powerful through divine 

influence, just as a policeman of the lowest rank, with a 
warrant in his hand, is able to drag to the court even a 
minister or a prince. He is, thus, advised to 
The best course surrender himself to the Lord alone, know- 

is to surrender . tt- x i. n u i ,i 

mg Him to be all, as he knows the ocean 

° to be the waves, and to obey His orders 

Lord and nob to j • i /m -, 

resist Prarabdha. "ngrudgmgly {Tameva sharanam gachchha 
" ' sarvabhdvena Bhdrata — B. G. XVIII. 62). 

He would then be able to see his action itself to be God and 
to gain,through His Grace, uttermost peace,the eternal state, 
even in this life (Tatprasdddt pardm shdntim Sthdnam prd" 
psyasi shdshvatam — B. G. XVIII. 62). Now, although, what- 



176 



ever the Lover of God seems to do and feel is a reality 

to the ignorant people, yet, as a matter of 
As a matter of r i. x l.- ^u -n a i j, 
facb bo the Lover ^^""^^ *^^^™ ^^^ Prarabdha, its enjoyments 
of God Prarab- ^ Sufferings and their connections are 
dha and its en- ^^^ nothing but Brahma {Dehasydpi pra- 
joyment are all pccnchatvdtprdrahdhdvasthitih / kutah 
Brahma. ajndnajana bodhdrtham prdrabdham vakti 

vat Shrutih // — Shankardchdryuj and Abhito 
Brahma inrvdnam, B. G. V, 26), "Deliverance* ', says Deu- 
ssen, "is not effected by the knowledge of the Atman, 
but this knowledge is itself already deliverance. He who 

knows himself as the Atman has thereby 
i^uo a 1 o n 8 recognised the world of plurality and the 

from Deussen, ,. . ,, i^. , 

Keshava Sw^mi ^^^^\^ Occasioned by plurality to be an 
and Saint Tuka- iU^sion, which Can no longer lead him 
r^ma. astray. His body is no longer his body, 

his actions no longer his actions; whether 
he still continues to live and to act or not, is, like every- 
thing else, a matter of indifference. But the semblance of 
Empirical Knowledge persists, and it is a consequence of 
this that deliverance appears to be first attained in all its 
completeness after the dissolution of the body." He may 
be said, therefore, to have the eternal bliss evervwhere 
whether his body is alive or dead. This point is touched 
distinctly by Keshava Swami and Tukarama Maharaja in 
their description of a Wise Lover. The former philoso- 
pher remarks that a Lover's Sanchita is reduced to ashes 
by the fire of his Knowledge, his Kriyam^na becomes 
fruitless like the enjoyment of a woman who is sterile and 
his Prarabdha alone remains till his death, but that too is 
a reality to the people and not to himself {Jndndnalen 
vividha sanchita dagdha zdlen / vandhyd vildsavata ten 
kriyamdna gelen / prdrabdha shesha uralen jananischaydld / 
advaitabodhapada nishchaya puma zdld 1 1 ). The latter 



177 



says "The Lover has got no Prarabdha, Kriyamana and 
Sanchita, for, to him everything, in and out, is full of God. 
The worshipper of God is not at all affected by the quali- 
ties of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. It is God who eats, talks 
and works through him. Tuka says that God and His 
servant are not two entities but one" {Prdrabdha kriya- 
mdna / bhaktd sanchita ndhin jdna // Avaghd Devachi zdld 
pdhin I bharoniydn antarbdhin // Sattva raja tama bddhd / 
navhe Haribhaktdst kadd // Khdye, bolCj kari / avaghd 
tydnchyd angen Hart // Devabhaktapana 

, ^ , Tukd mhane ndhin bhinna 11 ). Now, 
Lover of God _ ^ , , t^tri! ^^ 

unable to create if anyone were to ask here 'Why thenis 
an universe? ^^^^ Lover of God Unable to create an 

universe like the Personal God ? * The 
reply given in Yatharthadipika is "if one branch of a tree 
bends down with fruit and another bears only a few or 
even none, can the latter, for that reason, be called a 
branch of a different tree ? {Atdn srishtyddi rachand / dni 
sarvajnatvddi Arjund I / mhanasi hen kdn maja yend sdmar" 
thy a TuzefiJI Tari agd! eki dahdli / vrikshdchi lavali phalin f 
ekisa thodin phaleU mhanoni vegali / mhanavela kdya ie 
shdkhd II ). Referring to him ( the Wise Lover ), Lord 
Shri Krishna tells Brahmadeva with great joy in Brahma- 

stuti 'The dust of the feet of the Lover who 

Q u o b a t i on ^^^^^ nothing but Myself, who is himself 

from Brahma- ^j^^out the least ill-will to anyone and 

full of peace and who sees Me the same 
everywhere realizing all to be the Self, do I bear on my 
own person and make ( thereby ) the people on the earth 
holy (Jyd Bhaktd Majavina any a nalage nirvaira shdnta 
svaycn I jo sarvatra pdhato sama Maid sarvdtmatd nishcha^ 
yen II Tydmdgencha are sadd phiratasen tydchyd paddnchyd 
dhuli I Mi angen vahdton pavitra kariton lokdnsa bhtiman- 
dalin U )• How gratefully the God of Gods returns, even 
12 



178 



in this life, the Supreme Love of these Wise Lovers 
{Jndni Bhaktas ) v^^hom, after the death of their physical 
bodies, He takes to the An&di Vaikuntha ( Vishnoryat 
paramam padam ) which is the subject matter of the next 
Chapter, is described by the Saint Tuk^r^ma thus : — ^"Our 
Lord knows nothing of high or lowly birth, He stops wher- 
ever He sees devotion and faith. He ate the 

Quotation from pounded grain that Vidura, the slave's 
Tukar&ma show ^^^^ ^g.^^^^ j^j^. jj^ protected Prahlada in 
ing ow e or ^^^ demon's house. He worked with 
returns the Love t^t-ja-^ -i-i i_ r 

* i. u M^T' Rohidasa m tanning hides; he wove scarfs 
oftheWise ^ ' 

Lovers even in ^^ Kabir's loom. He sold goat's flesh with 
this life. ^^^ butcher Sajana ; He mowed the grass 

in SavatS-'s field. He blew the fire with 
the goldsmith Narahari ; with Chokfi-mela He dragged 
away dead cows. With Name's slave Jani, He lifted up 
cowdung ; at Dharma's house He carried the water and 
swept the floors. He became a charioteer and drove 
the horses of Arjuna's car ; He relished the cakes that 
Sud&m^'s love presented Him. At the cowherd's house, 
He tended kine ; He kept the door for Bali. For the sake 
of MirS.h^i, He drained the poison cup; He became a 
Mahar in the service of Damdji. He carried clay for Gora 
the potter. He paid off the bills of Narasi Mehta. For 
Pundalik^'s sake He still stands there (at Pandharpur); 
blessed says Tuka is His story." Nay, even after doing 
all this, He declares that He can never be free from the 
debt of His Lovers ( ' Sakdmdsa desi kdma / mumukshusa 
kaivalyadhdma j deuni tnoksha Aimdrdma / rini mhanavisi 
bhaktdnchd jj ' Yathdrthadtpikd, and ^ Natd karuni muktahi 
fnhanasi Mi buddlon rinen J' Kekdvali ). 



CHAPTER V. 

INFINITE GRACE 

( Sampushti). 



^'I will declare again the knowledge beyond this ( nature ) 
the best of ( all sorts of ) knowledge, having gained which, all 
sages have attained to perfection beyond nature. Resorting 
to this knowledge ( also ), they rise to fellowship with Me; 
they are not re-born even at the creation (of the universe) 
and are not afflicted at its dissolution."— Bhagavad-Qit^, XIV. 

I. This human body is undoubtedly transient and 
joyless but, if well utilized, it enables one to enjoy Eternal 
Bliss and Companionship of God. We are, therefore, ask- 
ed always to love and worship Him ( Anityam asukham 
lokam imam prdpya bhajasva Mam — B. G. IX, 55)— a thing 
lying quite within the province of our *W^i/Z*, which, as 
already proved ( Chap. I, Para 5, Pages 47-51 ), is not af- 
fected by Pr^rabdh a. 'Will' is, thus, distinguished from 
*Desire* by Mrs. Besant, who identifies the former with ^Con-- 
science' {Avyakta Tattva ov Chiita): — ^^Desire is the outgoing 



180 

energy of the thinker determined in its direction by the 
attraction of external objects, Wtll^ is the outgoing energy 
of the thinker, determined in its direction by the conclu- 
sions drawn by the reason from past experiences or by the 
direct intuition of the thinker himself. Otherwise put, 
Desire is guided from without, Will from within. Will in 
the domain of morality is generally entitled Conscience.'' — 
The Ancient Wisdom. Out of the four classes of the Lovers 
of God (Bhaktas), viz,, (i) the Dualist ( Arto ), (2) the Know- 
ledge-seeker {Jijndsu ), (3) the Aspirant seeking perfection 
( Arthdrthi ) and ( 4 ) the Wise Lover ( Jndni ), who alone 
are called ^men' by Shri Krishna ( Mama vartmdnuv art ante 
manushydh Pdrtha sarvashah — B. G. IV, 11), Amourism 
Amourism takes takes no notice of the Dualist {Arto)^ 
no Dotice of the because he loves God with the expectation 
Bualisb (Arto) of some material good or that of protec- 
bufe begins with tion against some evil. His love is the 
the *Love of the impurest of the four, because it has all 
Knowledge-seek. the three defects {Tridosha), viz., Inter- 
er (Jijnasuy or ^^p^^^^ Adulteration and Condition. It 
True Faith. j^ tolerated, however, by Shri Krishna, 

because it has a chance of being purified in course of time, 

1 Will or Conscience, then, is a modification of Sattva or 
Antahkarana (Tenchi antahJcarana sativa shahden / GhitsaddnaU' 
dalaJiarz) which, when properly developed or rather purified, 
becomes, step by step, Faith or Shraddha ( Sattvdmtrupd sar- 
vasya shraddhd bhavatt Bhdrata — B, G. XVII. 3 ), Love or 
Bhakti { From Pure Faith is born Love — Lord Ghaitanya) and 
the Self or God meaning Atma or Brahma (Bdma bhdveu thdin 
jpade I Bdma hhaktisi dtude j Bdma aiJcya rupen jode / mauna 
pade shrutisi 1 1 Shri Bdmaddsa Swdmi ). 

Cf . Chitta buddhi mana ahankara / eka sattvache prakara/ 
ya chaunchecha svapnavik^ra / bheda nase ya chaunsi // Ya- 
thdrthadipikd, 

Buddhi ani mana ya dona shabddn kherija antahkarana 
^a chitta he dona shabdahi pracharanta aheta. Paikin antah- 



181 

as already shown in Chapter II. 4. P. 73. Amourism, there- 
fore, begins with the love of the Knowledge-seeker (Jijn&su), 
which is nothing but True Faith defined by St. Paul in 
the very first para of his Eleventh Epistle 
St. Paul's defi- tQ ^he Hebrews as ^ The substance of 
Di ion o ai things hoped for, the evidence of things 

and its explana- ^ , ,-r -..t , , 

tion by Newman. ^^^ '^^^ • ^^'^ Newman says the word 

'substance' means 'realizing.* **It (Faith) is 
the reckoning that to be *\ he continues, " which it hopes 
or wishes to be; not ' the realizing of things proved by 
evidence.' Its desire is its main evidence; or, as the 
Apostle expressly goes on to say, it makes its own 
evidence, 'being the evidence of things not seen'. And 
this is the cause, as is natural, why Faith seems to the 
world so irrational as St. Paul says in other Epistles, Not 
that it has no grounds in Reason, that is, in evidence, but 
because it is satisfied with so much less than would be 
necessary, were it not for the bias of the mind, that to 

the world its evidence seems like nothing.*' 
^, ." When the Shruti {Yamevaishavrinute) 

also says that 'whomsoever this Atman 
desires, by him is the Atman attained', it means the same 
thing. Faith is thus a faculty or frame of mind which 
when properly developed becomes itself an instrument of 

Knowledge. For, God manifests Himself 
ai 18 an m ,j^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^ ^^ ^^^ flesh, but to the 

Knowledge illummated mmd, to their Faith". Faith 

is thus the foundation of all religion and 

philosophy. The means of its development is the disinter- 

karana ya shabdacha dh&tvartha ' antalen karana mhanaje 
indriya ' asa asaly^mnlen tyS-nta mana, buddhi, chitta, ahan- 
kara vagaire sarvanchacba s^manyatah samavesha hoto.-^ 
itdrahasya. 



182 

ested performance, as a servant of God, of one's religious, 

«, . .^ social and personal duties — especially the 

The means of its . , . . ^ 

development. hearing and singing of the names and 

glories of God in the company of saints, 
for the purpose of offering them as sacrifice to the Person- 
al God. Its immediate result is the purification of heart 

^^ . ^. , and the acquisition of the Knowledge of 
Ifca immediate , ^,/.,, ^r -i ia 

^^g^j^ the Self by the Vyatireka and Anvaya 

methods {Aksharam Brahma paramam — 

B. G. VIII. 3) as well as the Knowledge of God's Divine 

Power {Pashya Me yogamaishvaram — S. G. IX. 5). It is 

the beginning^ of the path of Amourism which ultimately 

leads to the Supreme Abode of Vishnu 
Its ulfcimafce ,^7— » , ^ ^ 

, {Vtsnnor yat paramam padam — Purusha^ 

sukta). But we can do nothing here with- 
out a guide (Achdryavdn Purusho veda — Shruti), What 
are then the qualifications of our guide on this path ? The 

two most important qualifixations of the 
Qualifications ni aster {Sadgiiru) are perfection in both 

the^^ ^th^ ""oi ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ practice of Knowledge {Nir- 
. . guna and Saguna). This idea is conveyed 

by the words ^Shrotriyam Brahmantsh-* 
tamitV in the Shruti, ^Shdbde parecha nishndtam* in Shri 
Bhagavata and ^Jndninastattvadarshinah* in Bhagavad- 
Gita. Those who know the theory only {Shdstrajna) are able 
to save neither themselves nor others. Those who have 

1. Karmefi dasapanen karuni nipanen Narajanin arpa- 
nen / p&paten kshapanen Bamapatigunefi premamrita sevaneS 
// Satsangin vasanen smritinfca asaneii ekaatichen baisanen / 
sarvaii hen karanen bhavabdhi taranefi durvasana maranen // 
Ydmana Pandita. 

Deva bhdvdchd bhukel^ / Tnka Vaikunthdsi iiel& // 



183 



practical knowledge of the Self but who have not studied 
the Shastras can save themselves but not others, for they 
would not be able to solve the difficulties of their disciples. 
Lord Jesus also says to the Preachers "I send you forth as 
sheep in the midst of wolves; he ye^ therefore, wise as 
serpents, and harmless as doves," Therefore, the Scrip- 
tures say that those who have a thorough knowledge of the 
Shastras and who see God in everything are alone fit to 
occupy the master's seat. A faithful disciple, who has realiz- 
ed the Self and who is fortunate enough to enjoy the 
company of the master for a pretty long time, imbibes the 
spirit of the Shastras without actually studying them and 
thi:s qualifies himself to become a master ( Tydnta kondsa 
annbhava mdtra / kondsa anubhavahi shdstra / Guruseve^ 
nev;:hi donhi netra j prdpta hoti 1 1 Yathdrthadipikd). One 
Distinguishing distinguishing mark of the master given 
mari of the Pre- in Shri Narayana Mahar&,]§,*s ' Paramdrtha- 
cepfcDr given in dipikd ' is that when you look at his face 
Paiamarbha- your heart thrills with joy, and the moment 
^V^^^' you touch his feet the worries and func- 

tions of the mind are all of a sudden at a standstill and you 
enjoy perfect tranquility for the time being- The Mukti- 

kopanishad says " Persons desirous of 

•Quotation from emancipation, having developed the four 

MDktikopani- j^g^^g ^f salvation should, with pre- 

sents in their hands, approach a Guru 
full of faith, of good family, proficient in Vedas^ 
Scripture-loving, of good qualities, straight-forward, 
intent upon the welfare of all beings, and an ocean 
of compassion," Whoever neglects to follow this 
path of Amourism, under the guidance of a qualified 
preceptor, misses the Eternal Bliss for which everyone 
naturally pants and only through ignorance hunts after 
worldly pleasures. For, we are told by Shri Krishna in 



184 



Attainment of 
Sir Edwin Ar- 
Dold's 'Greater 
Wisdom', 'Wis- 
dom' and 'Know- 
ledge' impossible 
without Faith. 



the Bhagavad-Gita that men without faith in the path of 
this Supreme Wisdom, not reaching Him, 
return to the path of this mortal world 
{Ashraddhadhdndh purushd dharmasydsya 
Parantapa / aprdpya Mdm nivartcnte 
mrityu sansdra vartmani // — B. G. IX. 3), 
Sir Edwin Arnold in his translation of the 
Bhagavad-Gita calls this Knowledge of the 
Personal God (/?aya'j:;/^37^)'Gr eater Wisdom ' 
to distinguish it from the Anvaya Knowledge (that ail is 
Impersonal Brahma) which is called 'Wisdom', the V/ati- 
reka Knowledge alone being called 'Knowledge*, 

2. What is that Bliss which all long for and only 
very few enjoy through the Grace of God ? 
It is the Bliss of the Self. The SelPj as 
consciousness, ensnared by. illusion {Mdyd), 
in the waking state ijdgrati) surveys the 
good and evil of this world, in the drexm- 
ing state {Svapna) builds up a world for 
itself, and even in deep sleep (Sushu^ti), 
where he has no consciousness of objects 
because his mind or reason merges itself 
in it, he is not unconscious, for, he is able 
to communicate his experience of Bliss as soon as he 
returns to the waking state {Jdgrati). In the fourth state 
called Turiya, he, freed from illusion (MdydJ, enjoys the 
Bliss of deep sleep {SushupHJ not unconsciously but with 



The four states 
of consciousness, 
viz,, 1. the wak- 
ing (Jdgrati) f 2. 
the ! dreaming 
{Svapna)y 3. deep 
Bleep ( Sushupti ) 
and 4. original 
or divine 
(Turiya), 



1 Sa eva majaparimohitatm^ shariramasthaya karoti 
sarvam / striyannapaD^/divichitrabhogaili sa eva jagrat pari- 
triptimeti // Svapne sajivah Bukhadnhkhabhokt^ svamayaya 
kalpitajivaloke / snshnpti kale sakale viline tamo'bbibhutah 
snkharnpameti // Jagritsvapnasushi^ptyadi prapancham yat- 
prakashate / tadijrahmahamiti jnatva sarvabandhaih pramu- 
chyate // Shruti, 



185 

continued and perfect consciousness. The Self or God is 
Himself the Turiy a so called in order to distinguish it 
from the other three states of consciousness born of it, just 
as one is called a father only when a son or daughter is 
born to him (Jevin putrdcheni jdhalenpanen / purushen pitd 
ndnva pdvanen / tevin tihin avasthdgunen / Turiyd mhananetl 
vastusi II Ekandthi Bhdgavata). Through ignorance of the 
path of Amourism, people miss this Bliss of the Self, which 

All beings are ^^^^ ^"^^ enjoyed, and being in quest of 
in quesb of the ^^' ^^ ^^^^ hanker after sense-objects ! "If 
Biis8 of the Self ^^^ desires for material enjoyments be 
they have lost. carefully and intelligently analysed*', says 
Bharati in his 'Shri Krishna, "we can 
arrive at only one conclusion, and that is that in hankering 
for material pleasures we are in fact practically hunting 

^ ^ ^. for that happiness which, once attained^ 

Quotation . „ , , . r • , • 

from Bharati's ^^^^ ^^^ hankermgs for material enjoyments 
''Shri Krishna,: ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^* The fact of our material 
possessions and enjoyments ever leaving 
within us a wish, more or less pronounced, for something 
still more enjoyable, still more pleasurable, is the most 
indirectly direct proof that we are in quest of something 
which material objects cannot supply ; and the fact of this 
quest being present in all human souls, in all their thoughts 
and actions at all times forces us to the irresistible conclu- 
sion that we once knew or had a taste of the thing we all 
are eternally searching for; and that, having lost it, we are 
ever endeavouring to regain it, its absence having rendered 
us as unhappy and restless as a fish out of its element.*' 
It is for this reason that Shri Krishna says in Chapter VL 
32 of the Bhagavad-Gita "Whoso sees the same, O Arjuna !, 

1 Cf. Yam labhdhva chaparam labham manjate nadhi- 
kam tatah, etc. — B. G. VL 22. 



186 



on all sides, comparing all, pleasure or pain, with 

^ his own, is deemed the best of Yogis" 

Interpretation , ^ , * . . 

r , , (Afmaupamyena sarvatra santam pashyatt 

Tia sarvatra dsc' yo'rjuna / sukham vd yadi vd duhkham 
B. G. VL 32. ^^ y^^^ paramo matah jj). The Yogi who 

sees the Lord in everything is considered 
best only if he views the Individual Souls with an 
eye of kindness. Even a perfect Yogi is aware of the 
pangs of hunger and thirst and the satisfaction which 
food and drink afford. He must, therefore, knowing that 
whatever is painful to himself is also painful to others, and 
whatever is pleasant to him is pleasant to them, put him- 
self in their place and give them as much relief from pain 
and as much pleasure as lie in his power. It is needless 
to say that he ought not to be instrumental in causing 
even the least hurt to any living being. A practical illus- 
tration of the point urged in this verse was given by the 
Muhammadan Saint Shekh Muhammad Bova. When he 
was a boy, his father, who was by profes- 
A c c o u u t of gjQj^ ^ butcher, gave him a knife and asked 

^ / ^ ^"^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^' ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^ ^^^y kind 
heart, he tried the knife first on one of his 

own fingers and he naturally felt unbearable pain. He 
threw the knife at once and left his father's house to joia 
the Hindu saints who lived in the neighbourhood. la 
their company, he studied philosophy and acquired prac- 
tical knowledge of the Self. He has left us a beautiful 
translation in Urdu of such a difficult work as Yogavasish- 
tha. The golden rule of *doing all good and 
no harm to others* is the substance of all 
the Puranas of Vyasa. If the Yogi is a rich 
man then only he would be able to supply the wants of the 
poor, but if he is poor himself what is he to do? The answer 
is, that he must utilize the wealth of his body, tongue and 



187 



mind and especially that of the spiritual knowledge he 
possesses, in making the world happy, and not allow him- 
self to be absorbed in his own Bliss. He must recall to 
his mind the days, when, through ignorance, he himself 
was troubled with the worries of life, and suggest to the 
weary souls the means, such as devotion, discrimination, 
self-control and others which destroyed pain aud secured, 
for him eternal happiness. According to Swami Viveka- 
nanda, "the highest of gifts is the giving. 
, . ^^,o^ \^ of spiritual knowledge, the next, is the 

kanandas grada- . . *^ i i i i , 

ti of iffcs givmg of secular knowledge and the nextj 

is the saving of life; the last, is giving 

food and drink/' We find in Mrs. Besant's 'Theosophy' 

also that "Everywhere and always, without 

Quo a ion exception, life seeks happiness, and no 

from Mrs. Be- rr • • i . -i i 

. ,^, , , sunenng is ever voluntarily borne except 

as a road to a deeper and more lasting 
joy. None seeks aimless suffering for the mere sake of 
suffering. It is endured only as means to an end. All 
religions recognise God as Infinite Bliss, and union with 
God, ^. e,, with Perfect Bliss, is sought by all of them.** In> 
Chapter XI of the Bhagavad-Gita on His emanations 
(Vibhuti), Shri Krishna mentions the Self in the form of 
the Individual Soul seated in the heart of all beings {Aha-- 
mdtmd Guddkesha sarvahhutdshayasthitah — Verse 20) as 

the first and most important of His Vibhu- 
The first) ema- ^.j^^ 'Jshaya* is the seat of feelings, t. e., 

"^^l''".r.TI^.^r the mind or heart {Sattva), which always 
ti of ShriKrish- , ^ , , '' , ^ , 

jjg^ resolves to have pleasures and to avoid 

pain. All this world is God's Maya or 

Yoga, the reflecting surface, and His reflections, viz.^ the 

Individual Souls who dwell in the Yoga ( hearts), are the 

Vibhutis. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone who 

wishes to worship God to satisfy the desires of all beings^ 



188 



Why are the 
Vyafcireka and 
Anvaja Know- 
ledges as well as 
the Knowledge 
of the Personal 
God,though prac- 
tical, considered 
insufficient ? 



SO far as it lies in his power, and not to do any harm to 
them, since they are to be regarded as His emanations. 
3. But can one be said to have done all that he has 
got to do if he acquires a practical know- 
ledge of the Self as Impersonal Brahma by 
the Vyatireka and Anvaya methods (Ak- 
sharam Brahma paramam — B. G. VII I. 3) 
as well as the Supreme Wisdom that the 
Self is the Personal God {Pashya Me yoga- 
maishvaram — B. G. IX. 5 ) ? No, all these 
knowledges must be perfected and the 
reason must become steady in order to 
enable the Jnani to enjoy living-freedom. 
If not, the Initiate is in danger of falling from Yoga, that 
is, of becominga Yogabhrashta. As soon as one realizes the 
Self, therefore, his duty is always to direct the mind to the 
Self either in his body or in the Universe. For, what matters 
it to a thirsty man whether he gets water or ice ! But as 
his previous Karma must withdraw him from Yoga- 
bhyasa (practice of Yoga) now and then, he requires also 
dispassion (Vairdgya) to enable him to return to concen- 
tration immediately after the necessary enjoyment of plea- 
sure and suffering of pain by overcoming the inducement 
of loitering among the sense-objects. The easiest means re- 
commended for the purpose by Amourism to the Aspirant 
seeking perfection (Arthdrthi), however, is Perfect Resig- 
nation or absolute Self-surrender ( Sam- 
prapatti), the details of which are given 
in the ^Life and Teachings of Shri Rdmd- 
nnjdchdrya* thus:— "He (the Lover) should 
have complete faith in the truth of the 
sacred books and their efficacy to save 
him; his teacher should be to him every- 
thing here and hereafter, for, he is the giver of Life Eter- 



Perfect Resig- 
nation or Sam- 
prapatti is the 
easiest means for 
securing perfec- 
tion. 



189 



nal. He should have burnt out his lower nature and all 

worldly affections and desires pertaining thereto. And 

he should, above all, so order his daily 

Quobafcion from jjf^ ^^^ j^j^ relations to others as to 

^ , . ^^^ , attract as many as possible to the path 

Teachings of Shri -^ ^. ,, ^,. .^. 

^. . .A,. of surrender and service. ihis is evi« 

Ramanujacharya. 

dently an improvement on Patanjali's 
wearisome Yogabhyasa (practice of Yoga) recommended 
by Shri Shankaracharya. The details given by Ramanuja- 
charya may be summed up in (i) the hearing and singing 
the names and glories of God {Maikarma paramo bhava — 
B. G. XII. 10) in the company of the Preceptor and (2) the 
attempting to realize ( or at least the constant remem- 
brance of the fact) that everything is God {Madyogarndshri- 
tah'-'B. G. XIL 11). The former purifies the reason 
{Sattva) and ensures the success of the latter {Mdzen kathd 

shravana dnika ndma vdche / gdtdn dhuto 
summing jasajase mala ho mandche / tattvdsahi 

tasatasd attsukshma drishti / pdhe Maddf- 
maka chardchara sarva srishti // Vdmana Pandit a). God 
is a friend {Sakhd) of such a Lover, who holds Him as the 
highest of all beings and dedicates all actions to Him 
{Yetu sarvdni karmdni Mayi sannyasya Matpardh — B. G. 
XIL 6) who, therefore, becomes speedily his deliverer from 
the ocean of births and deaths by giving him strength to 
kick away all the obstacles thrown in his way by the 
Lower Gods {Sakhd soird Swdmi tuii Sheshashdyi / mhanu" 
ni suhridbhdva Tuzydcha thdyin / taydn rakshitd fun janiii 
nitya host/ shakend kartin vighna koni taydnsi jj MaJidvi' 
ghna sendpati motha mothe / taydnche shirin pdya deiini 
vdte I Hart chdlati moksha mdrgiri Tiizyd je / fashdriJii na 
te bddhiti vighna rdje // — Brahmastuti). It may be observed, 
then, that whenever the Aspirant Lover is unable to concen- 
trate his reason on account of some worldly or spiritual) 



190 

difficulty which he may have to face, he should sit desire- 
less for a while {Pratyaya ktmapi naye tart kshanabhari 
ichchhdrahita basd re — Amritardya) and remember God 
{Padatdn jada hhdri / ddsin dthavdvd Hart // Tukdrdma) 
and God alone, but he ought never to have any recourse 
to such means^ as vows or penances which are strictly 
iorhidden {Sddhanenj in dndna / abhakta soshiti dpana j 
Mdzyd bhaktdnsi gd jdna / Micha sddhana sarvdrthin/l Eka- 
ndthi Bhdgavata). Thus, with the greatest ease, the Lovers 
who follow the means of Perfect Resigna- 
^8 overs o ^j^^ ^ Samprapatti ) attain perfection 

o a ai» P®'^- and enjoy living-freedom till the exhaustion 
-lection wibhoufc r , • V. a , ,, , • i - - ^ , ^ 

difficult and en their Prarabdha, which is unavoidable 

joy living-free- {Prdrabdha karmandm bhogddeva kshayah// 
dom bill the ex- ShruH). "Do they die, immediately, after 
hausbion of their such realization ?", asks Swami Viveka- 
Prarabdha. nanda and replies, " Not so soon as we 

think. Two wheels joined by one pole are 
running together. If I get hold of one of the wheels and, 

with an axe, cut the pole asunder, the 
Sw4mi Viveka. ^^^^^ ^^^.^^^ j ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ 

nanda 8 explana- . ,, u i • t-n •. 

r .1- au upon the other wheel is still its past mo- 

tion of the Shru- ^ . i • i i 

ti about Prarab- centum, SO it runs on a little longer and 
^^^ then falls down. This pure and pefect 

being, the soul, is one wheel and this ex- 
ternal hallucination of body and mind is the other wheel, 
joined together by the pole of work, of Karma. Knowledge 
is the axe which will sever the bond between the two, and 
the wheel of the soul will stop — stop thinking that it is 
coming and going, living and dying, stop thinking that it 
is nature and has wants and desires, and will find 
that it is perfect, the desireless one. But upon the 

1 Cf. Tuja soduniySn any a daivaten nacha my^ii navas&- 
wiii— Sw^mi Padmanabha Tirtha. 



191 



The difference 
in the fruits of 
Vyatireka and 
Anvaya Yogas. 



Other wheel, that of body and mind will be the momentum 
of past acts; so it will live for some time, until that 
momentum of past work is exhausted, and worked off, and 
then the body and mind will fall, and the soul become 
free." 

4. The Aspirant, who reaches perfection by the 
Vyatireka Yoga (Yadd panchdvatishthante 
jndndni manasd saha / buddhischa na viche^ 
shteta tdmdhuh paramdm gatim // Tdm 
yogamiti many ante sthirdmindriyadhdra^ 

ndm [ apramattastadd hhavati. •.. 

— Shruti ) which consists in separating oneself from the 
functions of the mind, secures salvation only. But the one 
who avails himself of the Anvaya Yoga (Yogohi prabhavd'- 
pyayau-Shruti) which consists in realizing the Impersonal 
Brahma in everything and everything in it for the purpose 
of making his reason steady, secures both salvation and 
living-freedom. The Lover, however, who follows the path 
of Amourism and adopts the means of perfect resignation 
(Samprapatti) takes refuge in Shri Krishna's Divine Power 
{Paschya Me yogamaishvaram — B.G. IX. 5) 
for perfecting his Knowledge, not only 
secures salvation and living-freedom but 
also obtains the Supreme Love of God 
(Madbhaktim labhate pardm — B. G. XVIII. 
54) which is described by Swami Viveka- 
nanda thus:— *'Now then what do we see ? That in its 
essence this cosmic energy known as matter, or thought 
or force, or intelligence, or whatever name 
you choose to give it, is simply the mani- 
festation of that Cosmic Intelligence, or as 
we shall call Him henceforth, the Supreme 
Lord. Everything that you see or feel or 
hear, indeed the whole universe is His 



Fruit obtained 
by the Lover who 
takes refuge in 
Shri Krishna's 
Divine Power. 



Swami Viveka- 
nanda's descrip- 
tion of the Su- 
preme Love of 
God. 



192 



creation, or to be a little more accurate is His projection, 
or to be still more accurate, is the Lord Himself. It is He 
who is shining, as the sun and the stars; He is the mother 
earth; He is the ocean itself. He comes as gentle showers; 
He is the air that we breathe and He it is who is working 
as force in the body. He is the speech that speaks. He is 
the man who is talking. He is the audience that listens. 
He is the platform on which I stand, He is the light that 
enables me to see your faces. It is all He. He Himself is 
both the material and efficient cause of this, and He it is 
that becomes involved in the minute cell, and evolves at 
the other end, to appear again as God. He it is that 
comes down and becomes the lowest atom, and then, 
slowly unfolding His own nature, rejoins Himself. This is 
the mystery of the Universe. Thou art the man, Thou art 
the woman, Thou art the strong man in the pride of his 
youth, Thou art the old man tottering on his crutches. 
Thou art in everything, O Lord ! Thou art all !*' We 
call this Love 'Universal Charity' {Sadbhakti) in Amourism. 

It is this Love which is propounded by 
The mosfc won- gj^^^j Madhvacharya in his 'Sadvaishnavism^ 
ThT sTrlml or 'Direct Cognition of the Lord' and re- 
f GodTaH^ furred to by the Shruti in the words ''Ndrd- 
ed 'Universal yanaparo dhydtd dhydnam Ndrdyanah 
Charity' in pcirah yachcha kinchijjagatsarvam drishyate 
Amourism. shruyate*pt vd j antarbahischa tatsarvam 

vydpya Ndrdyanah sthitah //". By the 
development of such Love alone, the Wise Lover [Jndni 
Bhakta) realizes the Self or the Personal God to be the 
Infinite Impersonal Spectator and assumes the form^ of the 

1 Te afcmatven Krishnacharana / smarati antifi tench i 
smarana / Bhagavadrupa jyanchen antahkarana / bhrifigakita 
nyayefi jit^iiclii // Yathdrthadzpika. 



193 

Personal God, with which when he leaves this body he 
goes to enjoy His Eternal Bliss and Companionship in His 

Supreme Abode^ {Bhaktyd Mdmabhijdndti vishate 

tadanantaram — B. G. XV II I. 55). The Love of God actu- 
ally enjoyed there is the Infinite Grace 

The Last) Stjage {Sampushti or Saguna Mukti) of the Am- 
of Love named Qu^-igts, the MMhurya Rasa (the emotion 
•InfiniteGrace or ^^^^ ^^^^ p^^^ j^ ^^^ conjugal life) of the 

ampus 1 prea- Vaishnavas, Ganga-Sagara-Sangama Bhak- 

ched by Shri .,,^ -. , xr, 

Vailabhacharya. *' ( ^^^ Love of a river to the sea ) of the 

Bhagavatas and the Pushti^ Yoga (Path of 

Grace) of the Yogis. It is the Love preached broadcast 

Govinda Govinda/ manalagaliya chhanda // Maga Govinda 
te kaja / bheda nahin Deva taya // Anandalefi mana / premefi 
pazarati lochana // Tuka mhane Mi / jevin nnreclii vegali // 
Karava Vitthala jivabhava // Shri TuMrdma. 

1 Hen trailokyachi Purushottamii / aisa sachu jeyancha 
manodharmu / tefiyan astikan jen ashramu / Pandava g^ // 
Jndneshvarz. 

2 Owing to tbe ignorance of the preachings of Vallabha^. 
some people think that the word PushH means nourishment of 
the body. This is quite wrong. The word is used by Valla- 
bha in its technical sense of the Grace of the Almighty or 
Kripa or Anugraha. It is by loving God without any selfish 
motives that the Grace is acquired, and the Grace is called 
Pushti. The way in which this Grace is acquired is called the 
Pushti-Bhakti'Mdrga. It is but unfair to deduce from the 
mere word Pushti, the inference that the Pushti-Marga esta- 
blished by Vallabha resembled the course of life followed by 
the Epicureans. It is an irony of fate that savants like 
Drs. Wilson and Hunter have committed themselves to such 
glaring fallacies. In the Pancha-Shloki, Vallabha says: — 
**The house, the centre of all worldly desires, should be 
renounced in every way. If it is not practicable to do so, one 
should devote it entirely to the service of God, for it is He 
alone, who is able to save man from all evils." It is simply 
ludicrous to impute Hedonism to the propagator of doctrines 
like this. — Life of Vallabhdchdrya by Lalloobhai Pdrekh, 

13 



194 



by Shri Vallabh^charya, which he justly regards as the 

fruit of all the kinds of Love realized 

Reason for the through Divine Grace or Pushti {Atmani- 

Dame selected. ^^^^ j^^^ y^^^^ Jivanmukta / tart prema- 

sukha durlabha tydn // Tukd mhane kripd karila Ndrdyana j 

iaricha hen varma pade thdven //). Even in the Bible we are 

told **For by Grace are ye saved through Faith and that 

not of yourselves; it is the gift of God/' — Ephesians Chap. 

11. 8. With regard to the Mddhurya Rasa of the Vaishna- 

, , , vas, Bharati says "The fourth, the feeling 

^ J x i.1- XT . of a loving wife to a Lord sums up the 
Kasa of the Vai- '^ 

«hnavas described essence of all the foregoing three feelings 
by Bharati. (Ddsya, Sakhya and Vdtsalya Rasas). It is 

the highest and tenderest feeling of devo 
tion. The true wife is the servant, friend, mother and lover 
of her husband. The devotee who wants to be the friend 
and companion of Krishna must have his all-forgetting 
love of Krishna pervaded by an uninterrupted sense of 
equality with Him." It is not, however, exactly the inter- 
ested though smooth love of the husband and wife but 

illegitimate love — love for love's sake 

Love for love's {Gangd-Sdgara-Sangama Bhakti), wherein 

sake or the 'Gan- without caring for obstructions the rivers 

'^ -SagaraSanga- of the Wise Lo vers [Jndni Bhaktas), who 

"^l^l^^J"^^^^ are spiritually females, though some of 

gava as. them may be wearing the physical bodies 

of males,^ flow into the ocean of the Personal God, v^'^., 

Shri Krishna, who is the only male in the universe {'Yathd 

nadyah syandamdndh samudre' stam gachchhanti ndmarupe 

vihdya I tathd vidvdn ndmartipddvimuktah j pardtparam 

Purushamupaiti divyam 1 1' — Shrutiy and 'Tvayi me'nanya 

1 Of. Keshava Swamichi nija dasi / rahina tyachya 
,pashin // 



195 



vishayd matirmadhnpate' sakrit / ratimudvahatddaddhd 

gangevoghamudanvati //' — Shri Bhdgavata). "That is the 

perfection", says Swami Vivekananda, "of the madness of 

Love. Aye, the true spiritual Lover does 

Sw^mi Viveka. 4.. 4., xui c ^ 

., . not rest even there; even the love of hus- 

tion oUhis^Ter- ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ enough for him. 
fection of Love. ^he Bhaktas take up also the idea of 

illegitimate love, because it is so strong. 
The impropriety of it is not at all the thing they have in 
view. The nature of this love is such that the more 
obstructions there are for its free play, the more passionate 
it becomes. The love between husband and wife is 
smooth, there are no obstructions there. So, the Bhaktas 
take up the idea of a girl who is in love with her own 
beloved, and her mother or father or husband, objects to 
such love; and the more anybody obstructs the course of 
her love, so much the more is her love tending to grow in 
strength. Human language cannot describe how Krishna 
in the groves of Brinda, was madly loved, how at the sound 
of his voice the ever-blessed Gopis, rushed out to meet 
Him, forgetting everything, forgetting this world and its 
ties, its duties, its joys and its sorrows.*' We are also told 
m the ^Vainshnavite Reformers of India' by T. Rajagopala- 

chariar that "Married love was considered 
Q u o b a fc ions ^f ^ 1^^^^, f^j.^^^ I^^j^^g interested, the love 

from the *Vaish- ^^^^^^3 the gallant, submersive of worldly 
navibe Reformers , . . , 

. , J . » , duties and propriety as it was, was consi- 

of India by , ^ , , . , /. , r 

Chariar dered the highest kind 01 sentiment that 

the soul can entertain towards the Al- 
mighty." The same author also says in another place "the 
ardent longing of the Gopis for Krishna was considered 
typical of the soul's longing for God, and sages and poets 
(like Shukacharya), who cannot be suspected of favouring 
moral lapses, have agreed to regard the Krishna idylls as 



196 



Ul 



symbolic of the highest spiritual devotion that is possible 
to man." The following anecdote taken from 'The Report 
of the Mahdrdja Libel Case' will clear all 
nee o e rom ^Q^j^^-g ^^^ misunderstandins^s that may 
The Report of bhe , . i • . r .1 . . 1 

M h" ." Libel ^^ Subject of this unique love : — 

Q^g J 'A certain woman was one evening going ta 

her paramour. At the same time a Fakir 
was sitting in (her) way praying to God, but as it was dark 
she did not observe the Fakir and (accidentally) struck 
him with her foot in passing, of which she was unconscious. 
Just then the Fakir did not say anything. But when that 
woman returned, that Fakir addressed her thus, *0 hussy 
you struck me with your foot and passed on but then my ' 
attention being fixed on God, I did not speak'. Thereupon 
the woman replied thus : 'Had your attention been so fixed 
on God, you would not have been conscious of my having 
struck you with my foot. See, owing to my contemptible 
love in my paramour, I did not observe you and was not 
even conscious of having struck you with my foot, O man ! 
had your love really been in God and your attention fixed 
upon Him, how could you have known of my foot having 
struck you V No sooner had the Fakir heard this than he 
seized his own ear and prostrated himself at her feet ( and 
said) — * O mother! what you have now observed is true. 
From this day I have adopted you as my spiritual guide/ 
In this anecdote also a lesson is drawn from love. As 
Dattatraya Rishi derived instruction from twenty four 
things, so should we draw the moral from the adulterine 
love." Shri Vallabhacharya, the founder of Pushti Yoga 
( path of Grace ), defines Love ( Bhakti ) as 
The Pushti Yoga * that Uninterrupted flow of the mind to- 
of Yogis. wards God, free from the trammels, like 

the flow of the Ganges which breaks its 
way through the mountains, etc., towards the sea." 



197 



5. A great many of the followers of Shri ShankarS,- 

charya, Shri Rtoanujach^rya, Shri 

Misunderstand. Madhvacharya and Shri Vallabhacharya, 

ings and misre- representatives of the four graduated 

presentations of ^^^„^^ ^f ^^^ Love of God described in 

Che true nature of ^, , tt ttt ttt j tt ^- i 

,, , ., 1 . Chapters II, III, IV and V respectively, 
the philosophies , . , , 

of the four great have misunderstood and misrepresented 
Acharvas. ^^^ ^^"^ nature of their philosophies to 
the great detriment of the world, as may 
be seen from the two following quotations: — (i) "The phi- 
losophy contained in our old books is valuable, but it has 
been turned into superstition. We have 
T Subba R 's ^ost almost all our knowledge. What we Call 
Lectures religion is but the shell of a religion that 
once existed as a living faith. The sublime 
philosophy of Shankarach^rya has assumed quite a hideous 
form at the present day Vishishtadvaita has degenerat- 
ed, and is now little more than temple worship, and has 
not produced any good impression on men's minds. 
Madhwa philosophy has degenerated in the same manner, 
and has perhaps become more fanatical." — Lectures on the 
Study of Bhagavad'Gitd by T. Subba Rao. (2) "The cult 
of a Personal God was the greatest gift that Vaishnavism 
gave to mediaeval India; but the Vallabhites by elaborating 
a vast and idolatrous scheme of temple and image worship, 
sadly fell away from the teachings of the original reform- 
ers. The necessity of a pure and virtuous 

Quotation from ^f^^ ^f j^jgj^ ^^j^j^^^ ^^^ ^f ^ ^.^^1 Culture of 
the Life of Shri ^j^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ j^^^ ^j j^^ ^j. ^^^ -^ ^^^.^^ 

Vallabhricha rya , , , . , 

, place came a showy and meaningless 

worship of images and men. The other 
doctrine, that of implicit reverence to the Guru represent- 
ed in Rajasthan in latter days by a number of ignorant and 
uncultured men led to most serious results. It was thought 



198 



that in order to attain salvation one should literally sacri- 
fice body, wealth and all to the Guru." — Life of Shri 
Vallabhdchdrya by Natesan. The mistake here has been 

that the homage paid to the Acharyas is 
The cause of -j^ ^i • , , ^ ^ ^i. • 

. ,.^ paidtotheirJesce;^^, not to their sanctity or 

fche mischief. :,..,, ,-t ^ ^ 

individual accomplishments. Besides, some 

of the disciples of the Acharyas directed their energies 

towards Hatha Yoga and the acquisition of supernatural 

powers {Siddhis ) which caused them to neglect the means 

of acquiring the true knowledge and love of God and made 

them victims of inordinate desires of sense-objects. The 

evil consequences of such practices may be seen from the 

following quotations: — (i) "Said the Lord 'Murari, I implore 

you, give up the study of fruitless occult 
Quotations from philosophies/ Murari, a little disconcert- 
2! sL^RWrt' ^d, said 'Are they not good ? Do they not 
shnaParamahansa teach religious truth V *Good or bad, that 
and 3. Swami jg j^Qt the question' replied the Lord, 
showing the evil '^"^ those researches into the realms of 
consequences of occultism will not lead anyone to find Me/ 
'^^^^^^og^^v^^- Here the Lord refers to the Tantra and 

other occult sciences which had then 
taken possession of the minds of the learned men of India. 
What the Lord meant was that researches into the secrets 
of occultism may have their uses, but they do not train 
one in Bhakti and therefore do not lead one to God* 
Those engaged in these researches, may possibly some- 
times discover truths not known before, that is all; but to 
attain to the Personal God or Krishna there is but one 
way, through faith, reverence and love, and that way is 
not paved but retarded by the cultivation of the occult 
sciences." — Lord Gauranga. (2) "Visit not miracle- 
workers. They are wanderers from the path of truth > 
Their minds have become entangled in the meshes o 



199 

psychic powers which lie in the way of the pilgrim- 
towards Brahman, as temptations. Beware of these 
powers and desire them not." — Shri Rdmakrishna Para- 
mahansa. (3) "The great strength of Christ is not in His 
miracles or His healing; any fool could do that; fools can 
heal others; devils can heal others; I have seen horrible 
demoniacal men do wonderful miracles. They will manu- 
facture fruits out of the earth. I have seen fools and diaboli- 
cal men know the past, present and future. I have seen 
fools heal at a glance, by the will, the most horrible diseases. 
They are powers, truly; but often demoniacal powers. 
The other is the spiritual power of Christ, which will live, 
and always has lived, an almighty, gigantic Love, and the 
words of truth which He preached.'* — Swdmi Vivekdnanda.. 
6. Now , what becomes of man after his death ? 

The atheists of the type mentioned by 

What becomes g^^^^j Vivekananda in the passage quoted: 

deaT'^'' '' below would say "Annihilation." "In 

India at the time I speak of there was not 
this sort of materialism, but the old crude type, which said 

— eat, drink and be merry ! There is nei- 
'Aimihilatiou ther God, nor soul, nor heaven! Religion 

and'Efcernal Re- . ' . r • 1 j • 4. 1 %u^ 

., ,. , ^, IS a concoction of wicked priests! — Ine 
fcribution are the . _ , . , ^ ''^ .. 

,. f ,, ^ materialism which taught the morality, 
replies 01 the ^ ^ 

A t h e i s t s and that SO long as you live you must try to 
Christians res- live happily; eat, though you have to bor- 
pectively. TOW money for it, and mind you never 

think of paying ! That was the way 
materialism went in India at that time.'* The reply of 
the Christians would be 'Eternal Retribution.' The in- 
The incongru- congruity of both the answers given to the 
ity of both prov- question is thus proved by Deussen: — 
ed by DeusseD. "The first supposition ( annihilation) is in 
conflict, not only with a man's self-love but with the 



200 



;innate certainty more deeply rooted than all knowledge 
of our metaphysical being as subject to no birth or 
dissolution. The second supposition which opens up the 
prospect of eternal reward or punishment for an 
existence so brief and liable to error, so exposed to all 
the accidents of upbringing and environment is condemned 
at once by the unparalleled disproportion in which cause 
and effect here stand to one another.*' Mr. £• R. Hull in 
his ^Man*s Great Concern* also says ''All races believe in 
a future life because man feels an instinct- 
u s argu- j^^ horror of the idea of ceasing 

- - . ,.„ to exist at death and a deep confidence 
of a future life. ^ 

that since we do exist we shall go on 

existing for ever. These feelings are found even 
in the rudest savages as well as in civilized peoples. 
They are part of the human nature, and must have 
been put into our soul by God in order to make us 
realize that there is a future life. Every inborn tendency 
in nature has some real goal which it can attain. The 
plants tend to pick up nourishment in order to grow — and 
nourishment is provided for them. The animals seek 
their food and pleasure — and food and pleasure are within 
their reach. The eye is made for seeing — and there are 
objects to be seen. The ear is made for hearing — and 
there are sounds to be heard, etc. If this is true of the 
lower tendencies of plants and animals, all the more true 
will it be in case of man's higher powers. Man's mind is 
made to know truth and goodness — and truth and good- 
ness are always ready to be known. The will also has the 
power of choice — and things to choose between are always 
coming in its way. But our whole nature craves for well- 
being and complete happiness — and therefore we must 
conclude that complete happiness is somewhere to be 
found. But, if it cannot be found in this life, there must 



201 

be a future life in which it waits for us/' Transmi- 
gration and Emancipation with or without the enjoyment 
of Eternal Bliss are, therefore, accord- 
Reply of Am- jj^g |.Q Amourism, the only possible 
ouiismis^ rans- states to which the human souls can pass 
g a on an ^fter the dissolution of their bodies. The 

* Emancipation r xt i • i 

with or withoub ^^^^"^^ 1^^ ^f Nature which causes 
fche enjoyment of ^^^ creation, preservation and dissolution 
Eternal Bliss. of ^be Universe, which fetters the 

Individual Souls with births and deaths by 

the actions they perform with worldly motives and which 

liberates them by the Knowledge of the Self secured by 

the offering of disinterested works to the Personal God, 

also forces them to assume, unmistakably, the form which 

. they bear in mind when they finally leave 

Dep e n d e n t this body ( Yam yam vdpi smaran hhdvam. 

upon the thought tyajatyante kalevaram, / tamtam^evaiti Katin- 

predominant at teya sadd tadbhdvabhdvitah // B. G. VIII. 

the moment of g^ ), aj^^ thought predominant in this 

^^ ' supreme moment of human life'', says 

Baba Premananda Bharati, "decides the 
destination of the human soul encased in the astral body 

when it leaves its physical home. If we think 
4^ ^ T3U- L' of nothing; but of Krishna at this moment 

irom Bharati. ^ 

we go to Krishna and live in His Abode, 
Goloka, the Abode of Absolute Love. If we think of Christ 
we go to Christ in His Father's Kingdom of Heaven. If we 
are filled witn the conception of Nirvana — extinction of all 
individuality — we go to Nirvana. If we desire for higher 
life above the earth we go to the higher spheres. But if 
our earthly attachments, having their influence on our 
thoughts at that moment, fill us with regret for being taken 
away from them or make us desire for earthly life, we return 
to earth-life again but not necessarily to a joyful or comfort- 



202 

able life. A life of worldly joy and comfort is due to good 
Karma and self-denial in some previous existence, A life 

of sorrow and hardship is due to bad Karma Intensely 

wicked actions, in the same manner, are punished by a 
turn of suffering tortures in Purgatory.*' Here a doubt 
arises that under this rule, if the worshipper of the Per- 
sonal God like Arjuna accidentally remembers at the time 
of death the Impersonal Brahma, which he has already 
realized, he obtains Nirguna Salvation ( Sdyujyatd ) which 
he does not want. In the same way, if the worshipper of 
one of the Lower Gods happens to think of another one 
at that critical moment he goes to Him who is not his 
object of worship. This is indeed anomalous ! The kind 
Master, therefore, solves the difficulty by saying that the 
machinery is such that everybody is sure to remember 
that only at the end of his life with which his mind is fully 
occupied day and night ( Sadd tadbhdvabhdvitah). Thus, 
the worshippers of the Impersonal God 
Shri Krishna's obtain Nirguna Mukti, those of the Per- 
guaraiitee thab gQual God secure Saguna Mukti and those 
thesoulmusbre- ^f ^j^^ Lower Gods go to the very same 
mem ei a ea Divinity they propitiate. Nay, the fate of 
I'l wMch'^the kingBharata, who, in spite of his great 
mind is fully Tapas, had to become a deer, proves that 
occupied. the souls are bound to assume any form 

whatever for which they have excessive 
attachment. 

7. It may be repeated here that the human^ body is 
called the Field ( Idam shariram Katmteya kshetram 
ityabhidhiyate — B. G. XIII, 1 ), beacuse it is through 

1 Nana yoninta phirati / te naradehincha karmen 
eariti / bandhamoksha doni prapti / mannshyadehiii // Bary a 
athava vaita / sarvatra javaya yethoni vata / ani mokshacht^ 
d^ravanta / mannsliya dehskl// Nig amasdr a. 



203 



this world of man alone that all souls must pass to the 
different goals which are the fruit reaped 
Human body from the seed sown here ( Adhascha 
fehe only gateway muldnyanusantatdni / karmdnubandhini 
to all worlds. manushya loke // B. G. XV. 2 ). In 
support of the doctrine of transmigra- 
tion, Mrs. Besant says in the * Ancient Wisdom ' 
as follows:— '*From all these lines of thought, how- 
ever, the mind turns back to rest on the funda- 
mental necessity for re-incarnation, if 
Mrs. Besant on life is to be made intelligible, and if in- 
Transmigration. justice and cruelty are not to mock the 
helplessness of man. With re-incarnation 
man is a dignified, immortal being, evolving towards a 
divinely glorious end; without it, he is a tossing straw 
on the stream of chance circumstances, irresponsible for 
his character, for his actions, for his destiny. With it, he 
may look forward with fearless hope, however low in the 
scale of evolution he may be to-day, for he is on the ladder - 
to Divinity and the climbing to its summit is only a ques- 
tion of time; without it he has no reasonable ground of 
assurance as to progress in the future, nor indeed any rea- 
sonable ground of assurance in a future at all The 

main difficulty with many people in the reception of the 
doctrine of re-incarnation is their own absence of memory 
of their past, yet they are every day familiar with the 
fact that they have forgotten very much even of their 
lives in their present bodies and that the early 
years of childhood are blurred, and those of infancy 
a blank. They must also know that events of the 
past which have entirely slipped out of their normal 
consciousness are yet hidden away in dark caves of me- 
mory and can be brought out again vividly in some form 
of disease or under the influence of mesmerism 



204 



Re-incarnation explains the ( family ) likenesses by the 
fact that the soul in taking birth is directed to a family 
which provides by its physical heredity a body suitable to 
express his characteristics; and it explains the unlikeness 
by attaching the mental and moral character to the indivi- 
dual himself, while showing that ties set up in the past 
have led him to take birth in connection with some other 

individual of that family The re-incarnation of the 

"human soul is not the introduction of a new principle into 
evolution but the adaptation of the universal principle to 
meet the conditions rendered necessary by the indivi- 
dualization of the continuously evolving life.'* In the 
course of discussion on the subject of re-incarnation she 
^ , ,. ^ quotes the followinsf passage from Lafcadio 

Quotation irom J_ o jr o 

Hearn's ^Evolution Hearn's 'Evolution and Ethics''.—' And tO- 
and Ethics, ^^V ^^^ ^^^ student of scientific psycho- 

logy the idea of pre-existence passes out 
of the realm of theory into the realm of fact proving the 
Buddhist explanation of the universal mystery quite as 
plausible as any other. *None but hasty thinkers', wrote 
the late Prof. Huxley, *will reject it on the ground of 
inherent absurdity. Like the doctrine of evolution itself 
that of transmigration has its roots in the world of reality 
and it may claim such support as the great argument from 
analogy is capable of supplying." The Orphies believed in 
re-incarnation and it was taught by Plato, Empedocles, 
Pythagoras and others. "Immortality, in particular," says 
Mr. Benn in his *HiS/or3; o/ Ancient Philosophy^ " took a 
foremost place among the Pythagorean 
metfmpSs^s!' doctrines, being held under the form of 
metempsychosis, or the migration of the 
animating principle after death from animals and 
even plants, to human bodies and vice versa** We find 
the following passages in the 'Yogatattva* and ' Brihadd- 



205 



ranyaka Upanishads:— (i) "That breast from which one 
suckled before (in his previous birth) he now presses 
Quotafcions from ( in love ) and obtains pleasure. He enjoys 
the^Yogatattva k the same genital organ from which he 
'Brihaddranj/aha' was born before. She who was once his 
Upanisbad and mother will now be wife, and she who is 
Bharati. jjq^ ^jfg jg ( qj. ^ju ^q ^ verily mother o 
He who is now] father will be again son, and he who 
is now son will be again father. Thus are the egos of 
this world wandering in the womb of birth and death 
like buckets in the wheel of a well and enjoying the worlds." 
— Yogatatfva Upanishad. (2) "Verily, according as he acts, 
according as he lives, so is he born; he who does good is 
born goodjhe who does evil is born evil, he becomes righte- 
ous by righteous works, evil by evil according to the 

work which he does, so is he rewarded." — Brihaddranyaka 
Upanishad 4. 4-5. How the egos take birth is thus des- 
cribed by Bharati: — "Indeed, finding the astral life to be of 
greater torment, the unhappy earth-bound soul longs to 
have a flesh covering again, to be reborn, and flies hither 
and thither blindly, because of the want of physical organs 
and some day gains this object. It enters, through the 
vigor (Sanskrit 'virga' ^virjya\ force, power) of a man into 
a woman's womb. This causes conception. No concep- 
tion can take place without a disembodied spirit entering 
the womb. Vigor mixed with the mother's blood supplies 
the physical body which is mere dead matter without the 
vivifying astral soul. It is only when an astral soul enters 
it that the womb closes and conception takes place. The 
incoming soul then feels itself confined within its scope 
and cannot go out of it by its own effort or will In- 
to the vigor or the blood of a spiritual soul, no wicked 
astral spirit can enter. Its pure aura repels such spirits 
and admits only kindred spirits seeking re-birth, drawn ta 



206 



it by Karma and affinity*'. With regard to transmigration, 

the Bhagvad-Gita tells us "If the embodi- 

, , _, , ed encounters death when Sattva is pre- 

and fche Bhagvad- , . , , r .1 . .^ ,\ 

. dommant, he goes forth to the spotless 

worlds of those who know the highest. 
Dying in Rajas, he is born among those attached 
to action; Hkewise if dissolved in Tamas, he is 
born in the wombs of the ignorant {Yadd sattve pra- 
vriddhe tu prala^am ydti dehabhrtt / tadottamaviddm lohdw 
umaldnpratipadyate // Rajasi pralayam gatvd karmasari' 
gishu jdyate / tathd pralinastamasi mudha yonishu jdyatejj 
B. G. XIV. 14-15). Here we are told that if a soul departs 
when Mishra (impure) Sattva prevails he reaches the pure 
worlds, i. ^., the higher worlds^ viz., Maharloka, Janoloka, 
Tapolokaand Satyaloka {Urdhvam gachchhanti sattvasthd — 
jS. G., XIV. 18). He is a candidate for Knowledge who has 
not realized the Self. He has, therefore, to return to this 
world after enjoying the happiness of the higher worlds, 
"to acquire Knowledge, and for that purpose he is permit- 
ted to take birth here in the family of a Jnani. He who 
dies when the quality of Rajas preponderates goes to 
heaven or Svargam ( Madhye tishthanti rdjasdh — B. G, 
XIV. 18), and after staying there until his merit is exhaust- 
ed, also returns to this world ( Kshine punye martyalokam 
vishanti—B. G. IX. 21.), where in conformity with his 
previous tendencies he is born in the family of those who 
are attached to actions ( Karma sangishu jdyate ). This, 
however, happens to him alone who dies with a keen 
desire to go to heaven. Otherwise, almost everybody dies 

1 (1) Bhnloka— the Earth, (2) Bhnvarloka— Extending 
from the Earth to the Sun, (3) Svarloka — from the Son to the 
Pole Star, (4) Maharloka, (5) Janoloka, (6) Tapoloka, (7) 
Satyaloka — from the Pole Star to the limits of the Brahmanda. 
These are erenerally ailed Urdhvalokas. The Pitriloka, Vishnu 
loka and Shivaloka are certain reofions of the TJrdhva lokas. 



207 



in Rajas, i. e., with a keen desire for one or the other of the 
millions of worldly objects he sees before him, and for 
that reason only he cannot be said to secure heaven. For, 
in a large number of cases there is Tamas at the bottom of 
their desires, which developes at the time of death and 
causes the Rajasika souls likewise to take birth in the 
wombs of the ignorant ( Tathd pralinastamasi mudha 
yonishu jdyate). This is the force of the word 'Tathd* 
( likewise ). By 'wombs of the ignorant' ( Mudha yonih ) is 
meant lower creation, such as beasts, birds, trees etc. 
"Prof. Bose's discovery'*, says Bh^rati, "now embodied in 
book form and entitled 'Response in the living and the 
non-living,' marks a new epoch in the advancement 
of modern science. It has been accepted by all 
scientific authorities, after the Professor had demon- 
strated it by experiments before a large number 
of scientific people in London, and notably by Lord 
Kelvin. Armed with the demonstrated 
Prof. Boses fact of this discovery, Prof. Bose main- 
discovery fchafc no ^^j^g ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^gg^ ^f ^^^ existence of 

difference exists i-r- r r ^^--i. 

, , . , life m any form of matter is its sensitive- 

befcween animals -^ , . , * -,- 

-, . , ness to external stimulus. According to 

and metals or ° 

vegetables. ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ proves conclusively that no 

essential difference exists between animals 
and metals or vegetables. He has shown by scientific ex- 
periments that a bar of iron is not only as irritable and sen- 
sitive as a human body, but that it can be killed or poisoned 
in the same way as the human body can be killed or 
poisoned. According to his discovery, life pervades every 
object and part of nature.*' Such experiences easily 
justify the facts mentioned, in Shri Bhagavata, XL 12. 8., 
by Shri Krishna in these words^: "It was only by their faith 

1. Kevalena hi bhavena gopjo gavo naga rarig^h / ye'Dje 
jnudhadhiyo nagahsiddha mamijuranjasa // 



208 



or affection that the milk-maids, cows, trees, beasts and 
reptiles and things of lesser intelligence reached Me and 
were happy.*' The Tamasika also go downwards ( Adho 
gachchhanti tdmasdh — B. G. XIV. 18 J, i. e,y to the lower 
worlds called Hell. There they suffer pain as the punish- 
ment for the effect of their sins. They are then clothed in a 
peculiar body called the Naraka or Yatana Sharira. Being 
unable to bear the torments, they cry for mercy. But the 
reply they receive is given thus in Chapter XXXV of the 
Al Koran: — "Thus shall every infidel be rewarded. And 
they shall cry aloud in hell, saying, ' Lord take us hence, 
and we will work righteousness, and not what we have 
formerly wrought'. But it shall be answered them, * Did 
we not grant you lives of length sufficient that whoever 
would be warned might be warned therein, and did not the 
preacher come unto you ? Taste therefore the pains of 
hell.* And the unjust shall have no protector." The same 
ideas about transmigration are expressed in Shri Bhagavata 
( ^Sattve pralindh svarydnti naralokam raja^ 
This idea o e i^y^fi j tamolaydstu nirayant ydnii Mdmeva 
agava - j^^^g^^^j^ 11* and ^Yogasya tapasaschaiva 

about Transmi- / j'' 7 7 / 7 • . ^ ^ r 

Ig^ nyasasya gatayomalah / maharjanah tapah 

Expressed in Shri satyam bhakttyogasya Madgatih //'J. There 

Bhac^avata. ^^^ Kapila Muni tells his mother Devahuti 

that one, who is a female candidate for 

knowledge now, ought to meditate on the fact, that she 

was in a previous life a male but has become a female in 

this life owing to her mind being fixed at the time of her 

death on a female to whom she was strongly attached, and 

that if she continues the same attachment 
Knowledge se. ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^jj^ j^^^^ ^^ asSUme 

cures mancipa- ^^^ ^.^^^ ^^ ^ male in the next life. Thus, 

like a bucket in the wheel of a well she 

must continue the course till the end of the world. Those; 



209 



souls, however, who acquire Knowledge of the Self and 
make their reason steady are freed from these cycles of 
births and deaths and enjoy Emancipation {Jndnddeva 
tu kaivalyam — Shruti ). 

8. But before treating the subject of Emancipation, 
we must know what becomes of a Yogabhrashta or one 
who has fallen from Yoga either on account of premature 
death or because he failed to attain perfection of Know- 
ledge for want of sufficient Dispassion {Vairdgya). In the 
Bhagavad-Git&, Arjuna puts this question about the fate 
of the Yogabhrashta to Shri Krishna who 

^. , , , ^ replies as follows: — "O Partha ! he is 

Yogabhrashta as , , . , . , i > . , 

described io the ^^^ ^^^^ ^'^^^"^ '" ^^'^ ^^ '^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ 
Bhagavad-Gita. f^^' ^ dearest! no man of good deeds 
treads the road of loss. He who has failed 
in Yoga attains to the worlds of those who perform meri- 
torious deeds, dwells there for countless years and is re- 
born in a holy and prosperous home. Or he is even born 
into a family of Wise Yogis; but such a birth as that is 
more difficult to obtain in this world. There he comes 
into contact with the {Sdttvika) reason which he possessed 
in his former body and then again, O Kurunandana (Joy of 
the Kurus) !, he strives for the highest perfection. For, 
even against his will, he is swept away by that same 
former practice, and only wishing to know Yoga, he leaves 
behind the Divine Word {Vedas). But the Yogi, striving 
with assiduity, cleansed of every stain, fully perfected by 
births following on births, achieves at last the Supreme 

Goal" (Pdrtha naiveha ndmutra vindshastasya vidyate 

aneka janma sansiddhastato ydti pardmgatim // B. G. VI. 
40-45). It is necessary to make the meaning of these verses 
more clear by a short explanation. How much the Merci- 
ful Father was moved by the question of Arjuna as to 
whether the Yogi who possessing Faith goes astray from 
14 



210 



the path is destroyed like a broken cloud {Shchhinndbhra' 
miva nashyati — B. G. VI. 38) is evident from the fact that 
Arjuna is addressed nowhere in the Bhagavad-Gita by the 
word ^Tdta' (beloved) except here. The reason is that the 
Master saw that the Disciple hesitated to begin Yoga 
through a wrong impression that he would be ruined on 
all sides if he failed in his attempt. He (Shri Krishna) also 
feared that other students of philosophy were also likely 
to entertain the same doubt. He hastens, therefore, to s.iy 
that neither here nor in the life to come does ruin lie in 
store for him who has entered the path of Yoga, for none 
who does good is ever degraded or required to go to the 
lower worlds {Durgatim gachchhati). If one were to ask, i 
then, the question "After what length of time a Knovvledge- 
seeker who tries the means suggested by the Shastras 
would be able to realize the Self, or one who has already 
realized the Self would be able to make his reason steady ?'\ 
the reply given in the Sharira Bhashya of Shri Shankar- 
acharya is that they would gain their 

Shri Shankara- ^^^^^ ^j^j^^^ ^^ ^^y ^j^^ -^ ^^^^ jj^^ ^^ 
charyas viewa as - 1.1^ i. j- <l ^.u -i > 

even m the next, according to the suitasi- 
to the period . , .,. r 1 

f lity or unsuitability of their previous teitrl- 

necessary for ac- -^ ^ r 

quiring Know- encies ( Purva sanskdra ). The case of 
ledge as well as Vamadeva, who acquired Knowledge whc^n 
Perfection. ^e was in the womb of his mother, is quc-f.- 

ed in support of this stateme t, for, a^ it 
was impossible for him to have made any efforts in th. t 
helpless state, evidently his knowledge of Brahma was tie! 
result of his work in the previous life. It may be mention- 
ed in this connection that when the desire o the Jijnasul 
to realize the Self is very strong, even if the IVrarabdha 's 
most unfavourable, the Shruti ^^Dehdnte Devah Parabrahr i 
tdrakam vydchashte*' s^ys that after its exhaustion, G^ I 
Himself, as a Saviour, imparts to him Knowledge at r : 3 , 



211 



moment of death. Here (on this path), nothing that is 
commenced becomes abortive ( Nehdbhikrama ndshosii — 
B. G. IL 40)i and when one who merely hears or repeats 
the Bhagavad-Gita with Faith is promised abode in the 

higher worlds {Adhyeshyatecha ya imam prdpnuydt 

puny a karmandm — B. G. XVI II . 70-71), how can one who 

has realized the Self and actually practis- 

mpoBsi 1 1 y ^^ Yoga for some time go to ruin ? What 

of a Yogabhrash- . . - , , , , , rr 

^., . , matters it, if he has abandoned Karma, 

tas going to ' , , ' 

y^jjjj^ when the Smriti {Sndnam tena samasta 

tirtha salile sarvdpi dattdvanir yajndndncha 
kritam sahasramakhild devdscha sampujitdh f sansdrdchcha 
samudhritdh svapitardstrailokya pujyopyasau yasya Brahma 
vichdrane kshanamapi sthatryam manah prdpnuydt I J ) itself 
says that one whose mind has been steady in the thought 
of Brahma even for a moment is supposed to have perform- 
ed all the rites and ceremonies prescribed by the Vedas? 
People, too, blame him only who follows neither the path 
of Knowledge nor that of Action {Ndyam loko'styajnasya — 
J3. G. IV. 31). They always love an experienced Jnani, and 
„. ,. . thus the Yogi in question being able to 

Hi9 condifcion ,, • i -n i • i . , 

- i.u- J 4.U secure their eood will may be said to have 
m this and the .,.,:-, ^ ^ -t i 

next world gained this life {Iha). Besides, even when 

he comes the next time to this world he is 

given opportunities cf enjoying pleasures or hearing the 

Shastras, according to his choice, and thus he suffers no 

loss on the Earth. As regards his life beyond the grave 

{Amutra) he is in the position of a traveller who having 

got fatigued, after accomplishing a part of his journey, 

takes rest for a while and then continues to walk till he 

reaches his destination. There too, therefore, he is a 

gainer. When he dies he goes to the regions where there 

is access to those alone who do such acts as Rajasu and 

Ashvamedha Yajnas and wtio offer gifts as those of the 



212 



Earth {Prithviddna). Nay, he is even superior to them^ 
for he is allowed to stay there as long as he chooses ( Ushitvd 
shdshvatih samdh)^ whereas they are turned out of their 
happy abodes, the moment their merit is exhausted* 
When he gets tired and wishes to come back to this 

world he takes birth in the house of a 

His return to pious and wealthy man, as was the case 

fehe Earth. with Janaka, if his failure in Yoga is due 

to his attachment to the sense-objects. 
The case of the Yogi who is said by Arjuna to be 'Wmw- 
dho Brahmanah pathi* (deluded on the path of Brahma} 
falls in this category. If, however, sudden death has preclud- 
ed him from completing his course and he is indifferent 
to sense-objects, he descends into the family of one who 
having practical knowledge of the Self is always engaged 
in Yoga. This is indeed a very rare boon, harder ( Dtirla* 
hhataram) to be obtained on this Earth, because it is the 
privilege of only such persons as Shukacharya who are full 
of dispassion. The desire for freedom which he had cultiva- 
ted in his former life now takes possession of his reason 
{Btiddhisanyogam labhate) either in his childhood or youth, 
naturally, without even keeping company with saints. 
Then, in due course, he comes in contact with a Sadguru, 
regains knowledge of the Self which he had forgotten and 

reaches the height he did already achieve, 
audits resulf!^^^ without much effort. But, as he has once 

failed in his attempt, he strives in his 
further progress towards perfection more than before 
and reaches the goal. If, however, perchance the 
Yogabhrashta now thinks of indulging in pleasures, his old 
desire {Purvdbhydsa) will draw him on unwittingly (Rhiyate 
hyavasho*pi sah). Then one may ask ' Do his former en- 
deavours lead him also to practise Karma Yoga ?* Cer- 
tainly not, because he is now only a seeker after Yoga 



213 

{Jijndsurapi yogasya) and not after knowledge of the Self 
( Atmatattvajijndsii ), as that stage of his has already pass- 
ed away. He is, therefore, said to rise above ( i. e., to be 
indifferent to ) the actions recommended by the Vedas for 
the purification of heart This does not mean, however, 
that he does not perform the necessary duties, for even 
one who enjoys living-freedom {Jivanmiikti) has to do 
them for the welfare of the people (Lokasangraha), but he 
does them without attachment ( Asaktah). As regards 
optional {Sakdma) duties, he abandoned them ever since 
he became a candidate for Knowledge. Similar description 
of a Yogabhrashta is also given in Shri Bhagavata [Kuyo-^ 
gino ye vihitddyantard yairmanushya" 
Similar descrip. hhutaistridashobasrishtaih / te prdktand- 
tion of a Yoga- t -, a -, -, ■, ^ •,. . 

bhyasa balena bhuyo yimjanti yogam na tu 
bhrashta also, ,,vr.i -i c 

cj, . karma tantram //) for the guidance oi 
given in Shri ''* ^ 

Bhagavata. Uddhava. Now, two doubts arose m the 

the mind of Arjuna, viz., (i) * Why should 

not a Yogabhrashta enjoy pleasures freely, when his former 

practice is sure to lead him to perfection ?', and (2) ' Why 

should not he again perform actions pres- 

o ques ions Qj.j]3g(j j^y ^]^g Vedas for the purification of 

of Arjuna. . , .,.-,.11 . 1 

mmd, as it is hkely to become impure 

during the long period that has elapsed since he acquired 

Reply to the Knowledge V The first doubt of Arjuna 

question *Why is answered by saying that the Yogi 

should not a attains perfection by his efforts only 

Yogabhrashta en- {Prayatndta). For, one who has passed 

joy pleasures his Matriculation in his previous life mus 

freely when his f^^^ j^jg gchool course in this life as easy 

former practice is ^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ ^^p^^^ ^^ become a 

o ea ^^ im gra^ju^te unless he works hard at college, 

^ °^' although the habits of study contracted 

before would help him a good deal towards success. In the 



214 



same way, the Yogabhrashta finds his work an easy task upta 
the stage reached by him in his former birth, but when he 
comes to a new step he must meet with the same difficulties 
as those usually found by a fresh worker, although his pre- 
vious endeavours would enable him to withdraw his mind 
from pleasures with greater facility. As regards the second 
doubt, Shri Krishna says, that the Yoga- 
Eeply to the bhrashta was able, in his past life, to re- 

ques ion y ^jj^^ ^j^^ g^jj. ^ , ^^^^^ y^^ j^^^ purged 

should not he per- w ir - i.- c n xu j • 

.„ himself, t. e., his reason, of all the desires 

lorm again ac- ' 

tiong prescribed ^^ pleasures in this as well as in the next 
hy the Vedas?' world by offering disinterested work to the 
Personal God in countless lives {Aneka 
janma sansiddhah ). Now, if it be said that his purified 
reason is likely to get stained, as even a cloth washed 
clean catches dirt by lapse of time, the answer is that in 
his past birth his impurities did, already, vanish and he 
became ' V igatakalmashah * ( freed from sin ) as by the 
touch of a Parisa (philosopher's stone) iron loses its hard- 
ness and blackness and is transmuted into gold. Then 
only the stains on the gold of his purified reason remain to 
be cleansed, which is done by his simple desire to grow 
perfect and does not stand in need of the Parisa of actions. 
He is, therefore, said to be 'Sailshuddha kilbishah* (cleansed 
of every stain). Thus, in this last life of his, he reaches 
the Supreme Goal ( Tato ydti pardm gatim). As regards 
the fate of the aspirants seeking perfection, who neglecting 
the modes of worship of both the Nirgunopasakas and the 
Bhaktas follow Hatha Yoga, Shri Krishna says in Bhaga- 
vad-Gita Chapter VHI. 12 and 13 *' Whoso, all the gates 
closed, the mind confined within the heart, the life-breath 
held in the head, fixed in Yogika concentration, repeating 
the single syllable Om — the Brahma — remembering Me^ 
goes forth abandoning the body, he reaches the highest 



215 



goal " ( Sarvadvdrdni sailyamya mano hridi nirudhya 

cha sa ydti paratndm gattm). He confines the mind 

within the heart {Mano hridi nirudhya)^ that is, makes the 
mind cease to work by thinking of nothing, stops all 
the nine passages ( Sarva dvdrdni sanyafnya\ viz.,, eyes, 
ears, nostrils, mouth and the two for excretion, and con- 
centrates the life-breath between the brows. Then 
raising up the life-breath to the head ( Murdhnydt- 
manah prdna) he adheres to Yogika concentration {Asthito 
yoga dhdrandm). The object of this, which is to escape to 
the Brahmaloka through the aperture in the crown of 
the head called Brahmarandhra that can be observed over 

the palate in childhood, as the skin, which 

Description of covers it, is then very delicate, is expres- 

tho Hatha Yogia. ged by the words 'Sa ydti paramdm gattm.* 

In the first half of the same verse, how- 
ever, the omission, in the description of the Pr^nayama 
Yajna in the Fourth Chapter, of the remembrance of God 
which ought to follow the purification of mind caused by 
the control of life-breaths is supplied, when it is said 
that He should be remembered by ringing forth within 
the word *0m' {Omityekdksharam Brahma vydharan Mdm^ 
anusmaran ) which is the one-syllabled Brahma. Al- 
though the Jnani Hatha Yogis do not come to birth again, 
yet they have to wait for freedom in the Brahmaloka till 
the end of the Brahma's existence^ counting the days and 
nights of Brahma {Sahasra yugaparyantam aharyad Brah- 
mano viduh / rdtrim yugasahasrdntdm te'hordtravido ja^tdh // 
E.G. VIII. 17). In the Kaivalyopanishad also we are 
told that they all attain Paramatma in the world of Brah- 
ma and are finally emancipated {Te Brahmalokeshu pardn- 
iakdle pardmritdh parimuchyanti sarve); whereas, the Nir- 

1 Vide Chapter I Para 6 and Introduction, Page 14, Note. 



216 



The reason why 
fchey are iDferior 
not only to Bhak- 
tas and Nirgu- 
nopasakas but 
€ven to ordinary 
Yogabhrashtas. 



The two kinds 
of Emancipation 
are: (1) Nirguna 
and (2) Saguna. 



gunop^sakas and the Bhaktas, who acquire knowledge 
of the Self at the same time with 
them, secure freedom immediately. Even 
the Yogabhrashta described in this para 
is superior to the Jnani Hatha Yogis 
because though he falls from Yoga in one 
life he has opportunities of attaining to 
perfection in the next. 

9. We now come to the question of Emancipation, 
or freedom, which is of two kinds, viz^ 
Nirguna and Saguna. The Nirgunopasakas 
or the worshippers of the Impersonal 
Brahma, whether they obtain perfection 
by the Vyatireka Yoga (Yunjannevam sad- 
dtmdnam yogi vigata kalmashah / sukhena Brahmasanspar- 
sham atyantam sukhamashnute // jB, G. VL 28) of con- 
centrating the Pure Reason in the self 
Nirguna within the body, or by the Anvaya Yoga 
Emancipation. (Sarvabhutastham dtmdnam sarvahhutdni- 

chdtmani / ikshate yogayuktdtmd sarvatra samadarshinah // 
B. G. VL 29) of realizing the Self in all beings and all be- 
ings in the Self, obtain the Nirguna Mukti, i.e., they merge 
themselves into the Impersonal Brahma. The difference 
between these two kinds of Yogis, how- 
ever, is that the former feel themselves 
miserable with the sight of this variegat- 
ed universe when, in the state of Vyuttha- 
na after rising from Samadhi, they are 
forced to receive, in the shape of reward and punishment, 
the fruit of the good and bad actions done in their pre- 
vious lives, while the latter realize the Prarabdha itself as 
well as its reward and punishment as nothing but the 
Impersonal Brahma and enjoy living-freedom. The 
Bhaktas or the Lovers of the Personal God, after enjoying 



The difference 
between Vyati- 
reka and Anvaya 
Yogis. 



217 



Saguna Eman- 
cipation. 



living-freedom like the Anvaya Yogis till the exhaustion 
of their Prarabdha, obtain Saguna Mukti, 
i. e.y they depart to the Anadi Vaikuntha 
or the Supreme Abode of the Personal 
God, where they enjoy His Eternal Bliss and Companion- 
ship. The two following quotations from the Upanishads 
describe the Nirguna and Saguna Muktis respectively : — 
(I) *'He who without desire, free from de- 
sire, his desire laid to rest, is himself his 
own desire, his vital spirits do not journey 
forth. But he is Brahma and in Brahma 
he merges" {Yo'kdmo nishkdmd dptakatnd 
dtmakdmo na tasya prdnd utkrdmanti Brahmaivd saubrah^ 
mdpyeti jj Brih, 4. 4. 6). (2) "Like streams flow and dis- 
appear in the ocean, abandoning name 
and form, so the wise freed from name 
and form enter into that Supreme Divine 
Spirit {Yathd nadyah syandamdnah 
gachchhanti ndmarupe vihdya / tathd 
vidvdn ndmarupddvimuktah pardtparafu purushantupaiti 
divyam // Mund. 3. 2. 8.). Nirguna Mukti is admitted 
by all the Vedantists, but some of them raise doubts 
against the Saguna Mukti. To them Babu Aurobindo 
Ghose in his '^Synthesis of Yoga' gives the following reply:- 
"It has been said that we can become the 
Impersonal, but not the Personal God, 
but that is only true in the sense that no 
one can become individually the Lord 
of all the universes; we can free ourselves 
into the existence of the active Brahma 
as well as that of the silent; we can live 
in both, go back to our being in both, but each in its 
proper way, by becoming one with the Nirguna in our 
essence and one with the Saguna in the liberty of our 



Brihadaranya- 
ka Upanishad on 
^Nirguna Eman- 
cipation.' 



Mundakopani- 
shad on 'Saguna 
Emancipation.' 

samudre'stam 



Babu Aurobin- 
do Ghose's reply 
to those who raise 
objection againsb 
Saguna Emanci- 
pation, 



218 



active being, in our nature ( Sddharmya Mukti ). The 
Supreme pours Himself out of an eternal peace, poise and 
silence into an eternal activity, free and infinite, freely 
fixing for itself its self-determinations, using infinite qua- 
lity to shape out of it varied combination of quality. We 
have to go back to that peace, poise and silence and act 
out of it with the divine freedom from the bondage of qua- 
lities but still using qualities even the most opposite largely 
and flexibly for the divine work in the world. Only when 
the Lord acts out of the centre of all things, we have to 
act by transmission of His Will and Power and self-know- 
ledge through the individual centre, the soul-form of Him 
which we are. The Lord is subject to nothing; the indivi- 
dual soul-form is subject to its own highest self and the 
greater and more absolute is that subjection the greater 
becomes its sense of absolute force and freedom." The 
union of Nirguna Mukti which is "a self-mergence and 
which leaves no place for personality" is referred to in 
the following passage:— 

"The Sufis, therefore, when they attain to the highest 
stage of Wasl or union say that they are one with God, 

they have become God. The end of Sufism 

The Nirguna is total absorption in God." — Al Ghazzali. 

Mukti ofbhe The Saguna Mukti which is "a love-union 

Sufis. ( union-in-separateness of God and the 

Soul ), a mutual inhabitation" is thus ex- 
pressed by the Saints Kabira and Tukarama: — 

(i) "From the beginning until the ending of time, there 
is love between Thee and me; and how shall such love 
Saguna Mukfci be extinguished ? Kabira says, as the river 
of the saints Ka- enters into the ocean, so my heart touches 
Lira, Tukarama Thee." ( 2 ) When the river-water has 
andJnaneshvara. fl^^^^ j^^^ ^^e ocean, it comes not 
back. Listen to my word ! Tukarama has gone, he 



219 



returneth not again." The same idea of Saguna 
Mukti is expressed by Shri Jnaneshvara in the words, 
"Te ydpari sddhya / sddhandtita shtiddha / teil Mtu 
houni ekavada / bhogi to Mdzen // Ghadauni Sindhucheyd 
dngd I Sindhuvari talape Gangd / taisd pddtc teyd bhogd / 
avadhdri jo //.** Both of these Nirguna and Saguna kinds of 
Emancipation are referred to in Bhagavad-Gita Chapter 
VIII in the words ''Sansiddhim paramdm gatdh" and '*Mdm 
upetya'* in verse 15, ''Paramdm gatim'* and ''Taddhdma 
paramam Mama*' in verse 21, and ''Param*' and '^StMnam- 
upaitichddyam*' in verse 28 respectively. The middle verse 
^^Avyakto'kshara ityuktastamdhuhparanidm 
Both Nirguna g^^^-^ j y^^^^ prdpya na nivartante 
and Saguna Muk. f^^dhdma paramam Mama //" says that 
T> ri r>.i- TTTTT this Avyakta ( unmanifested ) endures 

B. G. Chap. VIII. , ,, "^^ . ^ ^^ , . / 

15 21 & 28 when all the creation ( Vyakta ) has passed 

away, just as gold reamains unchanged 
amidst the ever-changing forms of ornaments. It is, there- 
fore, called in the Vedas and Shastras the Unmanifested 
and the Imperishable ( Avyakfo'ksharityuktah ). Now, 
there are as many goals as there are worlds, but this is 
said to be the highest goal ( Tamdhtih paramdm gatim ) 
because thither arriving, none ever returns ( Yam prdpya 
na nivartante ). It is itself Sayujya Mukti ( freedom of the 
worshippers of the Impersonal God). The 
M V'T ^ ^^^ ° other three stages of Mukti are Sarupya, 
Samipya and Salokya which consist in 
assuming the form of, living in proximity with, and resid- 
ing in the heaven of the particular Deity whom one wor- 
ships. But they are not the ever lasting seats of the souls 
as the worshippers have to return from them to this earth 
again. All these four stages,^ however, combine in the 

1 Tuk^ mhane n^m^p^shin chari mukti / aisen baha 
granthin boliyelefi // 



220 

Saguna Mukti ( the freedom enjoyed by the worshipper of 
the Personal God ) to which the Blessed Lord refers in 
this verse by saying that the same is His Supreme Abode 
{Taddhdma parainam Mama) which is in the form of Shud- 
dha Sattva, and so, entirely free from Rajas and Tamas, 
and which is realized as identical with and not different 
from the Unmanifested and the Imperishable. 

10. In the first verse of Chapter XIV of the Bhaga- 
vad-Gita, Shri Krishna speaks of the Nir- 

agava - i .i guna Mukti or Sayujyata as it is called in 
-.T 1 L' d^ the Vedanta Philosophy. It runs thus: — 

Mukti or Sayu- „ ^ .„ , , . i , , i , 

. ^^^ " I will declare again the knowledge be- 

yond this (Nature) the best of (all sorts of) 
knowledge, having gained which, all sages have at- 
tained to perfection beyond Nature" (Param bhuyah pra- 
vakshydmi jndndndm jndnamiittamam I yajjndtvd munayah 
sarve pardm siddhimito gatdh //). When the Blessed Lord 
says *I will declare again' ( Bhuyah pravakshydmi ) He 
means He wants to repeat what He has already spoken in 
the previous Chapter, viz.^ the fact that one may acquire 
knowledge of the Self through the Grace of the Preceptor, 
but until the material tendencies of hundreds and thousands 
of lives are destroyed, the Knowledge does not become 
perfect. When the aspirant understands, therefore, the 
nature of the Purusha (Spirit) called Kshtetrajna (field- 
knower) or the individual soul, he sees that this reflection 
of his and not himself is the real enjoyer of fruits {Purushah 
sukhaduhkhdndm bhoktritve heturuchyate // B. G. XIIL 2i), 
In the same way, when he understands the qualities of the 
Prakriti (Nature), he sees that he is a mere spectator and not 
the doer of actions ( Kdrya kdrana kartritve hetuh prakri- 
iiruchyate // B. G. XIIL21 ). Thus, his reason becomes 
steady ( Ya evam vetti Purusham prakritincha gunaih saha / 
sarvathd vartamdnopinasa bhuyobhijdyate / / B. G. XIII 24O 



221 

The Knowledge (Jnanam) He is going to declare is beyond 
{Param) this {Ito) Nature which is in the 
The aspirant) foj.^ of the body. The object of repeat- 
watches as spec- jj^g ^^Q Knowledge here is that unless the 
tator the enjoy- Aspirant, after Self-realization, watches^ 

ments of the Pu- , t . i t> i 

rusha (refle fcion) Constantly as a spectator, how the Purusha 
Ind \he Actions ^r the Individual Soul (who is his reflec- 
of fche Pi'akriti tion) enjoys the Prarabdha and how each 
(Nature). of the three qualities of the Prakriti (Na- 

ture) fetters, he would not be convinced of 
the fact that he is neither the enjoyer of the Prarabdha nor 
the doer of actions, and his reason would not become steady 

{N any am gunebhyah kartdram yadd drashtanupashyti 

amritamashnute — B. G. XVL 79-20). In reply to Arjuna's 
question to Shri Krishna in B. G. XIV. 21, as to the signs of 
the three qualities, by knowing which the Jnani transcends 
them {Kairlingaistringundnetdnatito bhavati Prabho), He 
answers *light and energy and even delusion' {PraMshaw 
cha pravrittincha mohamevacha — B. G, XIIL 22) which are, 

1 Prarabdhen bhogi pravritti / tethefi sakshi howni lak- 
slii gunacbya vritti / ton tya pravrittintahi nivritti sampade 
taya // Kin prarabdhahi prakriti dbarma / 'buddhi karmaau- 
sarini' heii varma / te buddhi, indriyeii, blioga karma / 
sarvahi prakriti apana akarta hen pabe // Ani bho^a pratjay^ 
ala / to jane kin ben bhoktritva apalja pratibimbala / bhogu- 
nihi abhokta mhanaveii tayala / ani akarta karunibi // Vichara 
aisa mhanuni / ^Yaevam vetti Purusham' ya shlokefi karani / 
•Prakritmcha gunaij^haha' aisen boloni / suchavilen kin bhokta 
Purusba prakriti guna hekalaven // Tethen apalen bboktepana/ 
iidekalat^ii cbidanshachen laksbna / ani kalatan vegale tinhi 
guua / akartepana ^palen sampade // Kifi prdkriticha sarva 
kari / mi akarta saksbi yapari / jnani na pabe, tofivari / akar- 
tatmatva banena // Kone r.ti kona guna/ badaha karito ? he 
khnna / janoni pahe drashta tjaficba nipuna / tari to akarta 
lipta navbe // Jo gunatefi jane / tyasi guuaprakashjacibi kbuna 
bane / aisba sbravanenchi shahS^no / pakvajnani jh^lo sarvahi// 
Yathdrthadijbikd. 



222 

^respectively, the three distinguishing marks of Sattva, 

Rajas and Tamas. The meaning of this 

Light, energy is that when the senses take their objects, 

and delusion are jj. jg ^he quality of Sattva that enables us 

the signs by ^^ j^^^^ ^^^ senses as well as their objects. 

nowiDg wi This is called the light IPrakdsham ) oi 

iie transcends the ,-,.. ta-, ju 

,.^. f Sattva which the Tnani transcends by rea- 

three quahties of ^ ,r . . . - , i 

Sattva, • Rajas ^^^^^g ^^e Self in it who IS beyond, as 
and ' Tamas, ^^^ ^ope is beyond the serpent. He under- 
respectively. Stands that Sattva is the eye that sees but 

that it is the light of the Self that illu- 
mines the eye of Sattva {Dipa prakdshi nayandsi jaisd / 
dtmd prakdshi mana huddhi taisd jf Vdtnana Panditd). 
Now, energy (Pravrittim) which implies action is Rajas. 
This the Jnani recognises to be the non-self. He trans- 
cends it by realizing himself to be actionless, while the 
senses are dealing with their objects {Kdn jaisen hoila kar^ 
^ndcharana / taiseii sukhewchi ho dpana / mi kartd hen tuii 
na tnhana / itukeni Brahma puma tun hosi 1 1 Rangandthi 
Yogavdsishtha). When the time for enjoyment of plea- 
sure and pain comes ( Prdrabdha bhoga ), in spite of his 
experience that he is not the body, the previous tendencies 
will force him to feel *I am happy', *I am sorry' and so on* 
This feeling in ignorant men, who identify themselves 
with the body, is delusion ( Moham) which means absence 
of discrimination. It is the principal mark of the quality 
of Tamas. The Jnani in question transcends it by re« 
maining aloof, saying that it is his reflection, the indivi- 
dual soul, that enjoys and not he, who is the all-pervading 
Self {Utkrdmantam sfhitamvdpi bhunjdnam vd gundnvitam / 
vimudhd ndnupashyanti pashyanti jndna chakshushah ff 
B. G. XV, 10 ). Thus, he transcends all the three qualities 
of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The same idea is also 
expressed in B. G. V, 8-9 by saying that the attuned 



223 



essence-knower thinks "I am doing nothing at all in see- 
ing &c. and holds that the senses deal with the sense- 
objects" {Naivakinchit karomiti yukto many eta tattvavit / 

pashyan indriydnindriydrtheshu variant a iti dhdra-^ 

yan // ) and in B, G. XIII. 29 by saying "He sees indeed 
who sees that actions in every way are done by Nature 
alone and likewise that the Self is actionless" ( Prakritya- 
iva cha karmdni kriyamdndni sarvashah / yah pashyati 
iathdtmdnamakartdram sa pashyati). When the Knowledge, 
however, becomes perfect, it is not necessary for the Jnani 
€ven to watch actions in this way, for, he actually sees 
everything to be Brahma {Yogayukto vishuddhdtmd viji^ 
idtmd jitendriyah / sarvabhutdtmabhutdtmd kurvannapi na 
lipyaie jj B. G. V. 7 ). This Knowledge is said to be the 
best of all kinds of knowledges ijndndndm jndnamuttamarn) 
because possessing which {Yajjndtvd) all the Jn&nis who 
devote themselves to meditation ( Sarve munayah ), that 
is, who see that they are unstained and actionless while 
their Prarabdha is working, have reached perfection be- 
yond nature (Pardm stddhim gatdh). This is Nirguna Mukti 
or Sayujyata. It is thus described in the Muktikopani- 
shad: — "The twice-born who, according to the path 
opened by the teacher, meditates upon 
Muktikopani- ^^ immutable reality attains Sayujya 
Mukti" ^''^"""^ ^ absorption ) into Me like the caterpillar 
into thewapp. This is the Sayujya Salva- 
tion which is productive of Brahmic Bliss and auspicious". 
One of the most revered of Sufis, JalfiUuddin Rumi refer- 
ring to it says *'If a m:in dies into the 
Jalalluddin Qce m of Deity what does he become? 
ijion of Nirguna As a drop which tails irom the clouds into 
Mukti. the se u" In this Miikti, which is called 

'annihilation* in theNiralamba Upanishad, 
the Sattva of the Jnani merges in Brahma and, therefore. 



224 



along with the pain of this transitory mundane existence 

he also loses the joy of living-freedom. It is for this reason 

that the saints Tukarama and Ekanatha 

Why the saints jespised it C'Nalage to moksha maja 

a r ^^Y^J^ sdyujyatd / ndvade he vdrtd shunydkdri // '* 

Tukdrdma. and ^^Haricharana seve paratd I 
condemn ISirgu- -,11 

M kt' ' ? thdva ndhtn paramdrthd / mtthyd moksha 

sdyujyatd j hdnati Idthd Harihhakta pain // 
Ekandthi Bhdgavata), Hearing of this salvation,^ Arjuna 
too, who did not care for freedom without love became 
restless because, there, he thought for want of Sattva he 
would miss the Love of the Personal God. Shri Krishna 
consoles him by telling him in the next verse that Saguna 
Mukti is also the fruit of this very Knowledge. 

II. In that verse, Shri Krishna says "Resorting to 
this Knowledge (also), they rise to fellow- 
Bhagavad- ghip with Me; they are not re-born even 
Oita and Saguna ^^ ^^^ creation ( of the universe ) and are 
not afflicted at its dissolution" ( Idam 
jndnamupdshritya Mama sddharmya mdgatdh / sarge'pinopa^ 
jdyante pralaye na vyathanticha // B. G. XIV. 2). The Master 
of Masters says here. for the satisfaction of His favourite 
disciple that, having taken refuge in this same Kowledge 
{Idam jndnam Updshrttya), the Jnanis have assumed Divine 
Identity(Mama sddharmyamdgatdh),{.e,,h3,ve secured the form 
of the Person.il God as well as His experience of Brahmic 
Bliss (Purushdchd purushdrtha hdchi / nihshesha nivritt 
1 *\Vbo cares to beconie sugar K, says the Bhakta. *I 
want to taste suj^ar; I wa.Tit to taste the sweetness of the bliss- 
ful Loid. Aye, who then would desire to become free by be- 
comincr OBe with God ? I ni^*y have realized that I am He, yet 
•will ] take myself away triiin Him and become d iff ernt so that 
I may eiijo> the Beloved! That is what the Bhakta says. — 
Swdnd Vivehdnanda 

Amr'tH 1 oui) I rasanamisen^/ amrita seviti bhapya pah& 
kasen — Vdmana Pandita. 



225 



hoye duhkhdchi / dni prdpti niratishaya sukhdchi / vyakii 
hechi purushdrthd // Rangandthi Yogavdsishtha) and His 
Eternal Companionshp in His Supreme Abode {Taddhdma 
Paramam Mama—B. G. Chap. VII I. 21 ^ XV. 6 ). This 
Anadi Vaikuntha is the ^Vishnor yaf 
AnadiVaikun- paramam padam* mentioned in the Vedas 
tha is acknow. ^^ ^jg^ ^1^^ ^Kingdom of God' or 'Eternal 

sl^^r^mTGll^^^ Life' referred to in the Bible and the 
„ .... , *Garoneman' of the Zoroastrians, the 

Human Life by r i • i i r> ^ t ^ 

all the great reli- existence of which, as the Supreme Goal of 
gioDs and true Human Life, is unanimously acknowledged 
philosophies. by all the four great Acharyas as well as 

by Lord Gauranga, as may be seen from 
the following quotations : — 

(i) **Yadd pashyan pashyate rukmavarnam kartdram^ 

isham purusham Brahmayonim / tadd 

QuofcatioD from xptdvdn punyapdpe vidhuya niranjanah para-- 

glj^d. mam sdmyamupaiti divyam //** Mundako^ 

panishadj J-7-J. ( For meaning see Pages 
166-167). 

(2) "This is 'the house not made with hands, eternal 

in the heavens' whereof wrote St. Paul, 
Qiiotationfrom ^^^ ^^^^ Christian Initiate; and he raised 
the Ancient Wis- , -^ i , n i.t_ • s. 

chanty, pure love, above all other virtues 

because by that can man on earth contri- 
bute to that glorious dwelling." — The Ancient Wisdom. 

(3) In the Ardibehesht Yesht, paras 3 and 4, we pray 

as follows, which stands in no need of 
Quotation from explanation, leaving as it does only one 

the Light of the 11 1 • xu j. 4 1. j 

- ^ .1 logical conclusion, that Ahura and our- 

Avesta and the ° t i: n • 4.u 

Q^^j^^g selves, when pure, live linally in the same 

abode or state: "Garoneman (is) Ahur- 

mazda's own abode. Garoneman is for pure men. There 

is none from amongst the wicked (who is) to go towards 

15 



226 

Garoneman, the abode of the pure, towards Ahurmazda 

publicly with ease Ahurmazda is the Friend, 

Instructor, Beloved, Father, the Final Goal of Humanity.. • 
Finally the goal towards which the aspirant has to gird up 
his loins to march is in the clearest terms shown to be the 
chosen abode of Ahura Himself and no less. Yea, the 
Gfithds do not stop short at any intervening heavenly stage 
however immeasurably and magnificently superior to 
man's state, as of the Gods of the Hindus and the Greeks." — 
Light of the Avestd and the Gdthds. 

(4) "Those", he (Acharya Shankara) says, "who by 

worshipping the qualified Brahman attain 

Quotation from conjunction with the Supreme Ruler, pre- 

Swami Viveka- . ., . • j» -j 1 • j • T • 

J I, ^o^. ' servmg their mdividual mmd, is their 
nanda about Shri , 1. .. , i- • 1 -* r,^, . , , 

Shaukarachary&'s glory limited or Unlimited ? This doubt 
views on the arising, we get as an argument: their glory 
«ubject. should be unlimited, because of the scrip- 

tural texts: 'they attain their own kingdom' 
— *to him all the Gods worship' — 'their desires are fulfilled 
in all the worlds.* As an answer to this, Vyasa uses the 
expression 'except the power of ruling the universe.' Bar- 
ring the power of creation, continuation and dissolution of 
the universe, the other powers, such as Animd^ and the 
rest, are acquired by the liberated. As to ruling the uni- 
verse, that belongs to the eternally perfect Ishvara. Why? 
Because he is the subject of all the scriptural texts which 
speak of creation, and the liberated souls are not men- 
tioned therein in any connection whatsoever. The Sup- 
reme Lord, indeed, is alone engaged in ruling the universe. 
The texts as to creation, all point to Him, and there has 
been used the adjective "ever perfect" in relation to Him. 
Also, as the scriptures say that the powers of Animd and 
the rest of the liberated soul come from the search after 
and the worship of God, it follows that their powers have 



227 



a beginning and are limited; hence they have no place in 
the ruling of the universe. Again on account of their 
possessing their own individual minds it is possible that 
their wills may differ, so that, while one desires creation, 
another may desire destruction. The only way of avoiding 
this conflict is to make all wills subordinate to some one 
will. Therefore the conclusion is that the wills of the 
liberated are dependent on the will of the Supreme Ruler". 
— Swdmi Vivekdnanda. 

(5) "Bhagavadftnubhava or the enjoyment of Supreme 
Bliss in the Abode of God {Param Padam) 
is derived from the eternal service of the 
Supreme Being. This is the summum 
bonum {Paramapurushdrtha ) of life and is 
called Moksha." — Vishishtddvaita Philoso' 

phy by M. T. Aienger. 

(6) "The Jivas having, within their appropriate 
limits, endeavoured and attained a direct 
perception of the Lord by His Grace enter 
into the state of Heavenly Bliss. The 
Heavenly state is not a mere absence of 
forgetfulness of miseries, but it is a state 
of positive intelligible, blissfulness, for, 

their own pure spiritual nature ^and the presence of the 
Blissful Lord ever enjoyed in unfading freshness can really 
make them blessed through eternity." — The Philosophy of 
Madhvdchdr^a by S. Subbd Rao. 

(7) "The individual soul is of two kinds: (i) Going 
through the circle of existences and (2) 
delivered from the trammels of life. The 
first is subject to misery in consequence of 
his delusion that his body and the senses 
are his soul. He remains in this condi- 
tion till he acquires knowledge, sees the vanity of tha 



Quotation from 
Aienger about 
Shri Ram .nuja- 
charya's views. 



Quotation from 
the Philosophy 
dt Shri Madhva- 
oharya by S. 
Snbba Rao. 



Quotation from 
the life of Val- 
labh^harya by 
Katesan. 



228 



world, devotes himself to meditation . and the love of God^- 
when he is delivered. The delivered souls are: (i) Those 
who have become so, while in their previous condition, by 
the termination of ignorance or delusion, such as Sanaka 
and others; and (ii) those who dwell in the world of the 
Bhagavat, other than the pervading Vaikuntha, where they 
attain the condition of the pure Brahman by the favour 
of the Bhagavat; (iii) there are others, who, having the^ 
divine nature in them and coming in contact with good 
men resort to various ways of Bhakti, or the propitiation 
of God, until perfect love alone for Him comes to dwell io 
their heart, and finally become the associates of the: 
Bhagavat in His eternal sports and amusements, This^ 
last is the highest moksha or deliverance," — Life of Valla- 
bhdchdrya by G. A. Nates an & Co. 

(8) "Now what is salvation ? It is not extinction,. 

nor the merging of man's soul in the Great 

LSToaSngr Fountain of energy; but the securing 

of a higher existence, and the everlasting. 

Companionship of God." — Lord Gauranga. 

How it is possible to realize this summum honuni of all 

the great religions and true philosophies or Supreme Goal of 

Human \JiiQ{Parama Purushdrtha or Saguna Mukti) after 

the death of the physical body is lucidly explained in the 

*Soul of India' thus: — "At the end, when you have reached 

the final beatitudes, will your personality 

QuofcatioDfrom ^^ merged in the Being of the Absolute? 

the^SouL of India' ^^^ ^.^ j^ rem2.m differentiated from Him 

^""^Sforlht ^' now,-difFerentiated in being only but 

LoCs of' God to ^^i^^d in love and will ? Is love of God a 

enjoy Saguna Mu. privilege of the saved as it IS the duty of 

kti after death. those who are in the bondage of the flesh 

and the world? If so, how will they love and 

serve the Lord from eternity to eternity, unless there are 



229 



motes and marks that differentiate the Lord from His 
servants and devotees ? These are queries that cannot be 
summarily set aside by those who desire to be truly rational 
and consistent in their faiths and practices. The Vaishnava 
Hindu did not brush these aside. He boldly faced them. 
And realising the imperious necessity of Reason to posit 
a Rupa or form in the Divine to justify His personality, 
he unhesitatingly declared that the Deity is not without 
Rupa or form, but that He has a specific Rupa or form of 
His own. It is not a carnal Rupa, not a material form, 
not a form that has dimensions, nor a Rupa that has 
;physical colours and contours, but a pure, and 
invisible, an immaterial Rupa or form. His Rupa is 
spiritual. His form is of the elements of Pure Reason." 
^' The end of life", says Socrates, '* is to be like 
Support of unto God ! and the soul following God, 
Bocrates. will be like unto Him; He being the 

beginning, middle and end of ail things.*' When 
Arjuna hc:rd of this Saguna Mukti, a doubt arose 
In his mind that as the Form of the 
Personal God also disappears at the time 
of the destruction of the universe, the 
forms of the Jnani Bhaktas must also then 
necessarily perish and they cannot but 
take re-birth when the worlds are born. 
How can we then call them free ? This 
question is solved by saying that they are not re-born 
even at the creation of the universe {Sarge*pi nopajdyante) 
and are not afflicted at its dissolution (Pralaye na vyath- 
aniicha). The point may be explained by a simile. When 
a person goes to sleep we never suspect that he is dead, 
nor do we ever say that he is born when he comes out of it. 
In the same way, at the time of the dissolution of the 
siniverse tlae forms of Shuddha Sattva of the Personal God. 



• Reply 


to 


the 


quesfcioD 


'Do the 


forms . 


of 


the 


Jn^oi . 


Bhaktas 


pei^ish . 


.at 


the 


time of '.the 


dis- 


solution 


of 


the 


universe 


>f 





230 

as well as those of the Bhaktas ixierge^ in the Impersonal 
Brahma and afterwards they appear again at its creation*. 
It would be as absurd to say that they are disturbed by 
world's doom as it would be to suspect that the man going 
to bed is suffering from the pangs of death. Just as when a 
wise man awakes, his wisdom is visible, so when the Lord 
of the universe rises from His sleep {Yoga nidrd)^ the 
Vaikuntha and its residents also make their appearance.. 
It may be mentioned here that this Anadi or Eternal 
Vaikuntha of Shuddha Sattva^, which was shown to Brahma- 
deva on the very first day of his birth, is different from 
the Nutana or New Vaikuntha of the three qualities 
specially created by Vikuntha, the son of Vikuntha,, 
at the request of Shri Lakshmi during the Raivata Man- 
vantara in the fifty-firstyear of Brahma's life for the benefit 
of the ignorant devotees. It was from the latter Vaikuntha 
that the gate-keepers ( Dvdrapdla ) Jaya-Vijayar 
mentioned in the Padma Purana, were ousted. Those 
who do not possess knowledge of the Self and yet who 
always engage themselves in the worship 
««^ ^v. A A^. of the image of the Personal God, 

weeD the Anadi ^ ' 

and Nufcana Vai- naturally think of Him at the moment of 

kunthas. death and assume His Form in the new 

transient Vaikuntha by that same immu- 

1 Kari yoganidra Hari Sheshashai, layin nijati mukta 
tyachecha thajin/kari srisliti hovoni jagft Murari, tajin 
nthati Muktahi ya prakarin // Vdmana F audita. 

2 "It is Shuddha-Sattva — a substance different from mat- 
ter and not subject to its qualities. It is also called Svachchha 
Dravya and Nitya Vibhuti. This goes to form the Vaikuntha, 
the world of the Lord and the bodies of Vishnu and Muktas.'* — 
Idfe and Teachings of Shri Bdmdfiujdchdrya, 

Its light is as brilliant as that of a thousand suna ( Dtvi 
suryasahasrasya — B. O. XL 12. ) and therefore the Anadi Vai- 
kuntha does not stand in need of our sun ( Na tad bhdeayate 
suryo—B. G. XV. 6.) 



231 



table law of nature by which the worshippers of other Gods 
assume their forms in their respective worlds. The Aaadt 
Vaikuntha is meant only for the Wise Lovers {Jndni Bhak- 
fas). As regards the powers of these Saguna Muktas or 
the Liberated Lovers, they possess all the powers of the 
Personal God except those of creating, ruling and dissolv- 
ing the univ erse {J agadvydpdravarj am prakaranddasannihi'- 
tatxjdchcha II Shdrira Bhdshya) as may be seen from the 
following passage: — 

" la the .'fourth p&da of the fourth Chapter of his 

Sutras, after stating that almost infinite 

The Liberated power and knowledge come to the liberat- 

Lovere possess all ed soul after the attainment of Moksha, 

the powers of the yy^sa makes the remark parenthetically 

PersoDal God ex- • i_ • ^t. ^ i.^ • ^i^ 

m an aphorism that none can obtam the 
cept those of 7. ,. ,. 1 j. i - 

creating, ruling P^^^^ ^^ creatmg, rulmg and dissolving 
and dissolving ^^^ universe, because that belongs to God 
the universe. alone. The qualified-monistic commenta- 

tor, Ramanuja, says the following in ex- 
planation to that aphorism: — This is the doubt here — 
whether among the powers of the liberated souls is includ- 
ed that unique power of the Supreme One, the power of 
creation, continuation and dissolution of the universe and 
ruler^hip over all or if, lacking this, the glory of the liber- 
ated consists only in the direct perception of the Supreme 
One. Let us assume as reasonable that the liberated 
obtain also the sovereignty of the universe. Why ? 
Because the scriptures say, the liberated soul attains to 
extreme sameness with the Supreme One, in the follow- 
ing passages: — *He who is free from all stain attains 
to extreme sameness* — Mundaka IIL J, and again * all 
his desires are realized.' Now, extreme sameness and 
the realization of all desires cannot be attained without 
also achieving the unique powerof the Supreme Lord, viz. 



232 



that of governing ^ the universe. Therefore, by virtue of 
these assertions about the realization of all desires and the 
attainment of extreme sameness we get that the liberated 
are to gain power of ruling the whole universe also. To 
this we reply that the liberated attain all the powers except 
that of ruling the universe. Ruling the universe means 
directing the various manifestations of form, life and desire 
of all the sentient and non-sentient beings, of which it is 
comprised, and this does not belong to those liberated souls 
from whom all veils have been removed, and who enjoy 
the glory of the unobstructed perception cf the Brahman. 
This is proved from the very text of the book which has 
declared the control of the universe to be the nature of 
the Supreme Brahman alone: *From whom all these beings 
are born, by whom all that are born, live, and unto whom 
the departing return — ask about it. That is Brahman.* 
Had this quality of ruling the universe been common to the 
liberated also, then this text would not be applicable, for it 
defines Brahman, through this very quality of ruler- 
ship of the universe. The uncommon qualities alone are 
stated in a definition, as in the following text of the Vedas: 
*My beloved boy ! alone, in the beginning, there existed 
One, without a second. That saw and felt, I will give 
birth to the many. That projected heat.' Again, 'Brahman 
alone, indeed, existed in the beginning* That One evolved. 
That projected a Blessed form, the Kshetra. Ail these 
Gods are Kshetras: Vanma^ Soma, Rudra^ Parjanya, Yama 
Mrityuy Ishdna;' again, 'Atman, indeed, existed alone in the 
beginning; nothing else vibrated; He saw and felt like pro- 
jecting the worlds. He projected the worlds afterwards;' 
again * Alone Ndrdyana existed; neither Brahma nor Ishdna^ 
nor the Dydvd Prithivi nor the stars, nor water, nor fire, 
nor Soma nor the Sun. He did not take pleasure in being 
alone. He after His meditation had one daughter, the tea 



233 

organs;* again, 'who living in the earth is separate from the 
earth, who living in the Atman' and so forth. In texts like 
these the Shrutis speak of the Supreme One as the subject 
of the work of ruHng the universe. Nor, in these descrip- 
tions of the ruling of the universe, in the text quoted, is 
there any position ascribed to the liberated soul, for the 
quality of ruling the universe is far away from such a 
soul's pxoyince."—Sivdmt Vivekdnanda. 

12, O gentle reader ! whatever be your religion, what- 
ever your nationality, whatever your caste, colour and 
creed, if you desire at all to enjoy your Own Eternal Bliss 
which you have missed for countless ages and which 
unconsciously you have been trying every moment to seek 
in vain, in material objects, Amourism like the Bhagavad- 
Gita\ advises you to secure three things, viz., I. Perfect 
Knowledge of the Impersonal Brahma, II. 
Three things Supreme Love of the Personal God and 
essary or se- jjj^ Entrance into His Supreme Abode 
^uriup* the enjoy- 

ment^'of Efcerpal ^^'^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ Vaikuntha ( Nirguna 
gljgg jndna, Saguna Bhakti / dni parama puru- 

shdrtha Saguna Mukti / aisi Gitd Bhaga* 
vadukti I sdra sakald veddnchen // Yathdrthadipikd). Shri- 
BhS,gavata too confirms these truths by means of suitable 
illustrations {He Shri Gitd Sutraprdya / Shri Bhdgavata 
ydcha Gitechd vishada abhiprdya // Yathdrthadipikd). Here 
nothing that is commenced is abortive; no obstacles are 
known; and even the least step taken on this path protects 
one from the great fear of birth and death {Nehdbhikrama 



1 Veden &pta kele tini varna / duravile stri shndra jana / 
na shive tyanche kiina / hen Ved^nsi nyuna pain alen // 
Ten Ved&nchen phedSvaySi uuen/Git^ prakataliShri Krishnefi/ 
Qiteche shravanefi pathanen / uddharaoeii Bamasti^n // Yathdr-- 
ihadtpikd. 



234 



ndsho'sti pratyavdyo na vid^ate j svalpamapyasyadharmasyo^ 
irdyate mahato bhaydt // B. G. //. 40.) This is a royal 
road, free from all difficulties or dangers, on which one 
may run even with his eyes closed ( Ydndsthdya nara 
fdjannapramddyeta karhichit / dhdvannimilya vd tietrc 
naskhalennapatediha // Shri Bhdgavata XI. 2. 35). For 

the purpose of securing the first re- 
7fch "t^" quisite, viz.^ Perfect Knowledge of the Im- 
p'erSnll BrlhiTa Personal Brahma, as Shri Ramakrishna 
obtained by ( 1 ) Paramahansa suggests, you must have 
True Faifch and ( ^ ) True Faith ( Sachchhraddhd ) and' 
( 2 ) Perfecb Re- (2) Perfect Resignation or Absolute Self 
signafeion. Surrender {Samprapatti). True Faith 

consists in {a) Sannydsa or abandoning work with 

motives (Kdmydndm karmandm nydsam 

Sannydsa, the sannydsam kavayo vtduh-B.G.XVIII.2) 
Isb component of ,., , ,. . ,tt a > .. ^ 

True Faith. which produces dispassion (Kdmyatydgen 

virakti — Yathdrthadipika); (b) Tydga {Sar- 
vakaramphala tydgam prdhustydgam vichakshandh — B. G. 

XVIII. 2) or performing disinterestedly 

Tydga, bhe2nd all your religious, social and personal 

Tr^T^^th ^ duties ( Varndshramavihitakarma karancn 

hd prathama dharma — Rangandtha Swdmi) 
and oflFering them as sacrifice ^ to the Personal 
God {^Kritametadahotadarpanam Sagunamyachchasaro- 

ruhekshanam* — Shruti; * Yajndrthdt satndchara ^ 

— B. G. IIL 9, and ^Yatah pravrittirbhutdndm yena sarva- 
midam tatam / svakarmand tamabhyarchya siddhim vindati 
mdnavah II'— B. G. XVIII. 46) as the material and efficient 
cause of this universe {Ahamsarvasya prabhavo Mattah 
sarvam pravartate^ iti mattvd — B. G. X. S), by having no 

1 Vidbiten palita / nishedhaten g^lita / Maja deuni 
j41ita / karmapbalen // Jndneslivari. 



235 



other desire than that of Knowledge or Freedom or Love 
of God and by firmly believing that you are not the doer of 
actions {Nirhetuka nirahankdren Brahmdrpana sahajachi 
hoti — Rangaitdtha Swdmi) .hnt that they take place ndXW' 
Tzlly {Svabhdvastu pravartate — B.G.V.14) in accordance 
with the tendencies of previous lives {Hoila prdrabdhen 
jen hondra j karila Ishvara jefi asela karandra / yd nischa- 
^Cn samddhdndchd prakdra j to nasatdn bhayachi avaghen // 
Yathdrthadipikd) — which^ begets Love of God {Ishvardr' 
pana phalatydgen bhaktt — Yathdrthadipikd); and {c) Ishva- 

rdrddhand^ {Kathayantascha Mdm nityam 
hhvdrarddhancU fushyanticha ramanticha—B. G. X. 9; 

^ Yogasanyasta karmdnam Yogafudti^ 

iSfch "" '^'^"^ shthottishtha Bhdrata II'— B. G. IV. 41-42, 

and ^Yogasannyastakarmd mhandje / jfogt 
samarpi karntavrinda karisi jen jen / tevlidn ^yoga* shabdcn 
ghetalen pdMje ^Ishvardrddhana' 1 1 ' Yathdrthadipikd) or the 

1 CI Thy Will be done.— ^V6/e. 

2 "Pray for my eoiil. Moie things are wrought by prayer 
Than this world dreams ot Wherefore, let Thy voice 
Rise like a fountain for me night and day. 

For what are men better than sheep or goats 

That nonrish a blind life within the brain 

If knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer 

Both for themselves and those who call them friend ? 

For so the whole round earth is every way 

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God." — Tennyson^ h 

^ Morte d' Arthur,' 

"Prayer is the great duty and the greatest privilege of 
the Zarthoshti — Light of the Avestd, In fact, Yazashne 
(Tasna) means *prayer of praise or prayer of invocation' 
— Zoroaster and Zoroaetriamsm by MistrL 

Prayer was by Mahomed thought so necessary a duty, 
that he used to call it the pillar of religion and the key of 
paradise. — The Koran by Sale, 



236 



hearing and singing of the names and glories of God, 
the result of which is the destruction of sins and purifica- 
tion of heart (Mdzi kathd Mdzen ndma / sakala pdtakdn 
kari hhasma j hen chittashtiddhichen varma / ati stigama 
Uddhavd // Ekandthi Bhdgavata). The full effect of prayers 
is, however, secured only when they are offered under the 
guidance of a Preceptor ( 'Santa sangeii Ananta rangeH 
ndma holdven / kirtana rangen Devdsannidha sukhen dold- 
veji //* Shri Madhvamunishvara; 'Bodhayantah parasparant 

B.G,X.9;^Shuddhtrnrindm natii fathedya durdshaydndm 

te yashasi pravriddhd sachchhradhayd shravana samhhritayd 
yathdsydf — Shri Bhdgavata; ^Tiizen yashachi tdriten pari na 
kevald tdrave / sahdya asild ase taricha shatruld mdrave If 
Na Bhdgavata bhetatdn na ghadatdnhi satsangati / na ajna 
hridayen tashin tava yashorasin rangati / /' Kekdvali; ^ Rdma* 
ndmake te adhikdri jinake satasangata ati pydri //' Ttilsiddsa; 
Santa japdve ndma' — Kabira; ^Bhajana varnilen aiseiipari / 
satsangenvina ten asddhya //' V dm ana Pandita). To 
give us opportunities of purifying our mind is the real 
cause of the Avatars or Incarnations^ of God, without 



Shri Tukarama and Sohiroba have left ns model prayers 

which are as follows: — Papa tapa maze gunadosha nivari / 
Krishna Vishnu Hari Nar§.yana // Kamakrodha vairi ghaloni 
b&heri / tnn rahe antarifi PandnraDga // Apulen mbanaven 
maja ntipeksh&ven / premasnkha dyaven Mayab^pa // Karishi- 
la tari nohe kanhieka / nirmilen trailokya hel& m&tren // 
Samarfchasi kaya amhin shikavaven / Tnk& mbane y&vefi 
P&ndaranga //; Shri Rama jaya Rama jaya jaya R&raa // 
Aisen nishidinin nama gatan / prema svayenchi yeila h&t& / 
nijapadinpavaven arama// VishayapS-sunisutela/ kevalasans&- 
rasi vitela / mana hen hoila nishkama //Dehinchi chalaka kal& 
gamela / sarvarnpin samarangin ramela / chifcsukha paratpara 
oijadhama // Sohira mbane Shiva smarato / Valmika patita 
p&vana hoto / aisen sakal§.n t^raka nama // Shri B&ma // 

1 Madame H. P. Blavatskey speaks of the Avat&ra as **a 



237 



which, evidently, there would be no names and glories 
( ^Janmakarmacha Me divyam evam yo vettt tattvatah / 
tyaktvd dehatn punarjanma naiti Mdmeti so'rjuna //' B. G« 
IV. 9, and ^Sattvam na cheddhdtaridafn nijatn bhaved^vij- 
ndnamajitdnahhiddpamdrjanam j gunaprakdshairanumiyate 
bhavdnprakdshate :pasya cha yena vd gunah //' Shri Bhdga' 
vata). Every religion prescribes ceremonies which are 
indeed most tempting but they are meant for the wordly 
men alone, because, even though you dedicate them to 
God they do not serve the purpose of purification but lead 
you to bondage (Y^ Mgm vedoktahi kdtnya / aikatdn jcn 
karndnsa ramya / ten arpitanhi Saguna Brahma / bandhaka 
phalachi dendra // Yathdrthadipikd). Repetition of the 
name of God, however, which is a wonderful purifier of 
reason, secures Knowledge and Freedom. "Liberty", says 
SwS.mi Vivekananda, "is nothing more than destruction of 
ignorance and that can only go when we know Brahman. 
It is not necessary to go through all these ceremonials to 
reach the meaning of the Vedanta, Repeating OM is 
enough. Seeing difference is the cause of all misery, and 
ignorance is the cause of seeing difference. That is why 
ceremonials are not needed; because they increase the idea 
of inequality; you practise them to get rid of something, 
or to obtain something'*. All these three components of 
True Faith {Rdma bhdven thdyin pade / Rdma bhahtisi 
dtude I Rdma aikya rupen jode j mauna pade Shrutisi // 
Rdmaddsa Swdmi) or the faith of pure Sattva, which is so 
called in order to distinguish it from the threefold faith of 
Mishra or Impure Sattva, Rajas and Tamas(yay^nfe sdttvikd 
devdn yaksharakshdnsi rdjasdh / pretdn bhutagandnschdnye 
yajante tdmasd jandh // B. G. XVII. 4), produce a keen 

desccDt of the Manifested Deity into an illusive form of indivv* 
duality, an appearance which to me' , on this illusive plane is 
objective, but is not so in sober fact.'' 



238 

desire for Self-realisation {MumukshdY and secure through 
the Grace of a qualified Preceptor^ (Gurubhajandstava gd 
jdna I jndna vijndna ghara righe jj Ekandthi Bhdgavata) 
J ftdnam OT Knowledge of the Impersonal Brahma within 
the body by Vyatireka or analysis and without it, i. e., in 
the Universe by Anvaya or synthesis and Vijndnam 
or Knowledge that the sense-objects which are 
regarded as mere illusion by the Nirgunopasakas or the 
worshippers of the Impersonal Brahma are the thought- 
forms of the Personal God known as the Divine Power or 
Yogamaishvaram {Vishva nave hen Arjund j yethcnpaddr^ 
iha kdnhin asend / Mdzyd yuktichi rachand / itukenchi pdhe // 
Nigamasdra). Every one naturally identifies himself with 
the gross or dense body {Sthula Deha\ although it cannot 
be the Self, because it is formed of the five principal 
elements {Pancha mahd bhutas) and it does not know itself 
nor others, as is apparent from the sight of a corpse. 
Beyond this body, is the subtle or astral body {Sukshma 
Deha) of which the components are life-breaths (Prc^was), 
the senses (Indriyas) and the five internal organs {Antah* 
karana panchaka). When one's attention is drawn to the 
workings^ of all these in the waking and dreaming states 
and to the fact that owing to their absence in deep sleep 
consciousness he is unable to communicate his experience 
of that state till he is awake, he separates himself from all 
the twenty-four elements^ {Tattvas) and realises the Self 
or spirit that is beyond them. This is called Vyatireka 

1 I^ajamafcma pravaohanena labhyo na medhay^ na 
babnn& Blirntena / yamevaisha vrinute tena labhyastasyaisha 
4tma vivrinute taaum sv^m // ShrutL 

2 Shishya Guru bahu melaviti pari durlabha jo Guru 
filiiBliya kari / Brahmachi houni shishya ure tari te khuna 
«hiBhyapan&chi khari // Vdmana Pandita. 

3 Vide Chapter I. 5, Page 45. 



239 



Knowledge. So also, when he realises that matter has no 
separate existence but it is the Self or spirit only assuming 
an unreal form, just as the false appearance of a serpent is 
nothing but the rope itself, he is said to have secured 
Anvaya Knowledge. Both of these are included in one 
general term Jn&nam which means Nirguna Jnana or 
Knowledge of the Impersonal God {Indriyebhyah pard 
hyarthd arthebhyascha param manah / manasastu pard 
buddhirbuddherdtmd mahdn parah / tnahatah paramavyak^ 
iamavyakidt purushah parah / purushdnna param kinchitsd 
kdshthd sd pard gatih // Shruti; Indriydni pardnydhuritt" 
driyebhyah param manah / manasastu pard buddhiryo 
buddheh paratastu sah // JB, G. ///• 42). The realisation, 
however, of the Universe as the form of the Personal God 
is VijnS.nam which means Saguna Jnana or the Know- 
lege of the Personal God {Purusheva idam sarvam — 
Shruti; Pashya Me yogamaishvaram — B. G. IX. 5). All 
this Bliss is the result of True Faith {Sachchhraddhd). 
Even Christianity agrees with the Bhagavad-Gita {Shrad- 
dhdvdnlabhate jndnam — B. G. IV. 39) in regarding True 
Faith as the instrument of Knowledge. For, says 
the Bible, Then said Jesus to those Jews that believed in 
bim, if ye continue in my word then (alone) are ye my 
disciples indeed: ye shall know the truth, and the truth 
shall make ye free — St. John VIII. 32. At this stage, you 
will be said to have passed from the state of a Jijnasu or 
Knowledge-seeker to that of an Arth^rthi or Aspirant 
seeking perfection. You will then stand in need of Per- 
fect Resignation or Samprapatti ( ^Ananyachetdh satatam 

Althongh properly speaking there are only two bodies— 
the gross (Sthnla) and the subtle (Sukshma), we find two more 
^iven in some philosophical works, viz., the ignorance of 
Brahma called the causal (K&rana) and the knowledge of 
Brahma called the great causal (Mah& k&rana). 



240 

yo Mdm smarati^ nityashah / tasydham suJabhah 
Pdrtha nityayuktasya yoginah' // B. G- 

. ^ VIII. 74, and ^Satatam kirtayanto Mdm 

ponents of Per- . 

f ecb Resignation, y^tantascha dridhavratdh / namasyantascha 
Mdm bhaktyd nityayuktd updsate' // B, G« 
IX, 14), which consists in (a) repeating the whole course 
of the Knowledge-seeker, viz., (i) Sannydsa, (2) Tydga and 
(3) Ishvardrddhana^ and in (b) the constant remembrance 
that everything is the Self or God and in penetrating the 
reason into the Impersonal Brahma in the body as well as 
in the universe (* Ye tu sarvdni karmdni Mayi sannyasya... 
Mdm dhydyanta updsate //' B. G. XI L 6; ^Shravana kirtanddi 
Bhakti I Vdsudeva sarva aishd yukti / prdrabdha bhogitdnhi 
vtrakti I hridayin asdvi//* Ntgamasdra, and ^Tdtkdla jdvayd 
dehdbhimdna / akhanda Mdzen ndmasmarana / gita nritya 
Harikiftana sarvdn bhutin samdna Madbhdva // MadbhdveH 
bhuten samasia sarvadd pdhatdn satataj Mi turiya jo sarva'- 
gata I te thdyin chitta praveshe //' Ekandthi Bhdgavata)^ 
Achdryopdsanam ov the v/orship of the Preceptor (Yasj^t? 

Deve pardbhakti prakdshante mahdtmanah — Shruti ) 

and Bhaktinirupanam or the preaching of the Love of God 

iYa idam paramam guJiyam Mdmevaishatyasanshayah-^ 

B. G. XV III. 68) have also been recommended as other 
independent means for securing the same purpose. Here 

1 Ani nitya nitya pratidiniii / dhy&nin shravanin kirta- 
nin / nityashah smare Mkten mhanoni/ suchavi bh^va // Yathdr- 
thadipihd, 

Bnddhatat.tvena dhidoshashtiDyeDaikantav^sin^ / dirgham 
praiiavamiichcharya manorjayam vijiyate // Panchadashty 
Dvaitaviveka. 

Harihara bhajananadara karitidhariti mananta patichada- 
shi / tyanchya jnan^nine na jale ekahi pata prapanchadashi// 
Moropanta, 

Naishkarmyamapi Achyntabh 4va varjitam 11a shobhafc© 
jnanamalam uiranjanam-SAn Bhdgavata. Bhajana bin& dhik 
chatnr&i gyana. — Shrt Ekandtha Sf Suraddsa, 



241 

you should not fail to make use of the key given to Arjuna 
in Chapter XIV of the Bhagavad-Gita for expediting the 
course of the Jnani and explained fully in para lo of this 
Chapter (*/o gundnten jane / tydsi gunaprakdshakdchi khuna 
bdne / aishd shravanenchi shahdne jhdle sarvahi //' Yathdt- 
ihadipikd and' ^Vritti jikade dhdve tikade na jdve ti pdthin / 
sdkshi hount pdhatdn svarupin maga hoya bheti //' Shiva" 
rdma Swdmi). Thus, when you feel a disgust of sense- 
objects and cultivate a taste for the Self, i. e., when the 
wood of your Pure Reason begins to catch the fire of the 
Self drawn ^ out of it by the friction of the instruction of 
the Preceptor {Vdde vdde jdyate tattva bodhah — Shruti) you 
may be said to be a Yukta or YogS-rudha {Yadd viniyatam 
chittam dtmanyevdvatishthate / nthsprihah sarva kdmebhyo 
yukta ityuchyate tadd // B. G. VI. 18). Your continued efforts 
will then easily lead you to perfection of Knowledge by mak- 
ing your reason steady,^ z.^., they will make the wood of your 
reason itself the fire of the Self {Atmajna hounihi je bhajati 
Mukundd / tydchd sadd kariti je shravanddi dhandd / dtmai- 
.kya bhakti hridaytn guna divya kdnin / te siddha hount na 
hoti kaddpi mdni // Brahmasluti). You will, thus, become 
the Impersonal Brahma {Brahmabhutah — B. G, XVIIL 54)^ 
but the method of worshipping the Personal God, viz,^ the 
constant remembrance of the Universe as the SelP 
or Personal God ( ' Sarvadd sarvdtmatechen smarana J 



1 Vilakshanah sthula sukshmaddehadatmekshita svadrik 
yathagairdaranodaayaddaliako'nj'ah prak^shakah // Shri 
JBhdgavata, 

2 It may be mentioned here that 'Ahznsd' or Harm- 
lessness (TanaJcara manahara hachanahara Jcdhuku dukhdvata 
ndhin / Tulasi azse santajana Rdmarujpa jagamdhi // ) also servea 
to make the reason steady. 

3 Atmaivedam sarvamiti-5^Arw^^, 
i6 



242 



henchi Saguna bhajandchcn lakshana' and * Sarvd* 

tmabhaktichen dridhapana / henchi jndna paripdkdchefi 

lakshana // Yathdrthadipikd ), which you will have 

adopted for securing living-freedom {Jivanmukti) in 

preference to the methods {Ashtdnga Yoga) of the Nirguno- 

p&sakas, will entitle you to enjoy the Supreme Love of God 

^ or Sadbhakti {Madbhaktim labhate pardm 

."•^"P"/^^ —B. G. XVIII. 54), i.e., the Love of the 
Love of God. . •" ^ , , 

Universe as the Self or God ( PahiUn 

dpanachi Brahmabhuta / maga dtmapratiti karuni dpana" 

chi Bhagavanta / dtmatven sarva bhutin priti adbhuta f 

pdvald tichencha ndnva te Bhakti// Yathdrthadipikd) which 

is the second requisite. By the development of this Love 

( ^ Abhydsayogayuktena chetasd ndnyagdmind / paramam 

purusham divyam ydti Pdrthdnuchintayan //' 3.nd^Kin chitta 

abhydsayogen karuni / yukta mhanaje chitsvarupa smaroni / 

divya Paramapurusha kalpuni / dhydvd chitten aishiyd // 

Aisenchi karitdn chintana / jo deha sodi kari gamana / to 

pdve taydjo Kamalanayana j Paramapurusha divya Vaikun^ 

ihandtha //* Yathdrthadipikd) you will realize the Self or 

the Personal God to be the Infinite, Impersonal Witness or 

Spectator (^Sdkshi chetd kevalo nirgunascha* — Shruti and 

*Tyd bhaktichydhi paripdken karuni / dpanachi Saguna Sdk* 

shimhanuni / nirdkdra dtmd Sagunatvejl olakhuni / krita-' 

kritya hoto //* Yathdrthadipikd). Your pure reason, then,. 

will asume the form of the Saguna Brahma 

e over (Pej-gonal God), even when the body is 

assumes the form \. -, , , . r t ■•• i 

, ^, ^ , alive,^ so that, at the time of the dissolu- 

of the Personal ' ' 

God even when ^^^" ^^ ^^^ ^^^^' ^^ "^'^^^ ^^ ready, like the 

3li^e image in the crucible when the wax melts 

away, to proceed straight to the Anadi 

1 Jr-aniyac^ien smarana / Nirgunenchi Saguuamnrtisphu- 
rana / atma Nirguna antahkarana / deba jitaiicha pave Sagu- 
nati // Jale mena ote rasa / ayati murti padatan musa / deha 



243 

Vaikuntha^ (Supreme Abode of Vishnu). You will thus 
. become a God-man^or Wise Lover {Jndni 

theGod"maXlife Bhakta). It is impossible for a God-man to 
till the exhaus- attach any importance to his own merits 
rlbdhr^ ^'' ^''^' ^"^ ^^ cannot help being conscious of the 

joy he feels in his Love of God. However, 
instead of being puffed up by the feeling, he regards it as 
the result of the Grace of the Personal God, whom he wor- 
ships. He always bows^ down to Him with his mind, speech 
and body and without vaunt or murmur quietly enjoys the 
pleasures and suffers the pains which fall to his lot until 
his death. Such a one, says Brahma in Shri Bhagavata, is 
entitled to residence in the Supreme Abode of Vishnu, just 

as a son is to the estate of his father {TattC' 

* _ ^ nukampdm susamikshyamdno bhunjdna 

Ab d f V* h evdtmakritam vipdkam / hridvdkvapurbhir 

vidaddhannamaste jiveta yo mukfipade sa 
ddyabhdk//). This is the third and last requisite, x?/^,. entran- 
ce into His Supreme Abode or Sampushti ( Maga Ishvara 
prasdden mukti / dtmatva sdkshdtkdra anubhaven // Yathdr^ 
thadipikd ) which will enable you to enjoy the Eternal 

padatan manasa / Bhagavadrupa karanenchi nalage // Yatlidr- 
thadzpzkd, 

1 Natadbhasayate suryo.... taddhama paramam 

Mama— J5. G. XV. 6. 

2 In the following poem of Shri Tuk&rama we find a 
beautiful description of a God-man: — 

*Pavitra to deha vani pnnjavanta / jo vade Achyuta sarva 
kMa // Tayachya chintane taratila doshi / jalatila rashi pafcak- 
^ncbya // Deva ichchhitati charanacbi mati / dbanvata cba- 
lati m&gefi magefi // Kaya y4 vegalen nraleri anika / Vaikan- 
tbanayaka jay a kanthin // Tuka mbane Deva Bhaktancha 
sangama / tetben ogha nama trivenicb^ //. 

3 Adbin bota santasanga / Tuka jbala Panduranga f 
tyachen bbajana rahina / mula svabbava jaina //. 



244 



Bliss and Companionship of God which is the Supreme 
Goal of Human Life. 

Shri Shankar^charya's Philosophy represents the de- 
Shri Shankara. velopment of the uninterrupted Love of 



chary a, Ramanu- 
jaoharya, Madh- 
v&charya and 
Vallabhachar y a 
were the repre- 
sentatives of the 
four stages o f 
Love in India. 



the Knowledge-seeker (Jijitdsu ) called 
True Faith (Sachchhraddhd), R&manuja- 
charya's that of the uninterrupted and 
unadulterated Love of the Aspirant seeking 
perfection {Arthdrthi) called Perfect Resig- 
nation {Samprapatti)^ Shri Madhvacharya's 
that of the uninterrupted, unadulterated and 
unconditioned, or in one word, the blemish- 
less Love of the Wise Lover {Jndni Bhakta) called Univer- 
sal Charity (Sadbhakti) and Shri Vallabhacharya's that of 
the liberated Lover called Infinite Grace {Sampushti or 
Saguna Mukti). The representatives of these four stages 
of Love also known as (i) D^sya Rasa or 
Navavidha Bhakti or Karma Yoga, (2) 
Sakhya Rasa or Prema Bhakti or Jnana 
Yoga, (3) Vatsalya Rasa or Para Bhakti 
or Bhakti Yoga and (4) Madhurya 
Rasa or Ganga-Sagara-Sangama Bhakti 
or Pushti Yoga in Maharashtra, were Shri 
Jnaneshvara, Shri Namadeva, Shri Eka- 
natha and Shri Tukar^ma, respectively, as may be seen 
from the following Abhanga^ of the last named saint him- 
self: — 

"By the Grace of the saints, the edifice has become 
fruitful (its object has been gained). Jnanadeva has laid 



The Saints 
Jnaneshvara, Na- 
madeva,Ekanatha 
and Tukarama 
were the repre- 
sentatives i n 
Maharashtra. 



1 Santakripa jhali / imarata phala ali // Jnanadeve3» 
rachila paja / rachiyelen dev&laya // Nama tayacha kinkara / 
ten en kela ha vistara // Janardana Ekanatha / dhvaja ubh^ril4 
Bhagavata // Bhajana kara s^vakasha / Tuka jh^lase kalasa //- 



245 

the foundation and erected the temple (established Faith 
which produces Knowledge). His servant Nama has made 
the ( necessary ) extensions ( introduced Absolute Self- 
surrender to God as the simplest and most successful 

means of perfecting Knowledge). Ekanatha 

Quotation from ^ ^^^^ disciple of) Janardana has raised 

r^L^rlu^^'orb ^^^ Bhagavata Standard (preached the 

SThVsltZl P"^^ Love of God to be realized in all 

sentient and non-sentient objects). Follow 
patiently this (mode of) worship, (for, thereby) TukS 
has reached the summit ( enjoys Eternal Bliss and Com- 
panionship of God ). 

This is, in short, the whole Doctrine of Amourism. The 
course is simple enough because here the agent, the means 
and the end are all one and the same, viz.^ Love itself. But 

The difficulty ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ difficulty in the way of 
of securing a the Student. It lies in securing the corn- 
qualified Pre- P^^y ^f ^ qualified preceptor {Baku avagha* 
ceptor. ^^ ^^^ santa bheti / pari Jagajethi kripd 

keli II Tukd mhane dtdn naye vrittivari / 
sukhdche shejdri pahudena 1 1). If you , however, succeed 
in that, as you will, by your sincere Love of God (Santa 
samdgama sama nahi Idhha kachhu dna / bind Hart kripd 
hota nahi gdvahi beda purdna 1 1 Tulasiddsa)^ who is of the 
nature of the Kalpavriksha ever ready to fulfil all your 
desires, you have only to stick fast like a wasp to his lotus 

^ , , feet CKimartha kardven shdstrajndna I 

Removed by a , . \ , ^ - -, -.^ » * , 

„. T r ktmartha kardven vrtthd dhydna / chdlaten 

sincere Love oi ' 

qq^j bolaten Brahma puma / Sadguru charana 

sddhakdn 1 1' Ekandthi Bhdgavata and 
^Guru pdsuni ghydvefl jndna / maga to Ishvara mhanoni 
tydchen bhajana / tyd bhajanen bdnatase samddhdna / jen 
upadeshilen ten jndnachi bimbatcn Shruti mhane 1 1* Yathdr" 
thadipikd) and undoubtedly you will accomplish your 



246 

object without any obstacles. He will quickly^ lead 

Mere company y^!' ^^ ^^^ ^ig^^^t stage ( Sadguruchi 

of the Preceptor krtpd zdliyd puma / janachi hoya 

leads the disciple Jandrdana / maga jana vana vijana 

atage.^ ^'^^^^^ fe/^nz«c^6/j/;m^ bhdsend // Ekandthi Bhdga- 

vata). We are told even in the 'Light 

of the Avestd and Gdthds* that *'The aspirant must 

needs for a length of time, pour out to 

Quotation from the Teacher and his Prophet, the object 

the Light of the Qf his love and devotion, his perfect trust, 

Avestaand t j j ,- , 

^.,, ^ reliance and unreserved self-surrender, 

tor so only can he accomplish the attune- 
ment of his bodies with those of his Teacher and 
Inspires His consciousness must awhile empty itself 
of all its own contents, he must denude himself of 
individualistic feelings, he must give up his own activities, 
and surrender himself to the Teacher to reproduce and 
not to imitate, His life. His strength. His faith and 
His purity. " This doctrine of Amourism, Shri Krishna, 
in the capacity of a Preceptor, preached to Arjuna in the 
Bhagavad-Gita and to Uddhava in Shri Bh^gavata. At 
the beginning of the Universe he taught it to Brahmadeva 
Himself who revealed the secret to the Sanatkumars, 
the Sage Atri and many others. Narada heard it from 
the Kumars and imparted it to Dhruva, Vyasa and other 
Lovers. Vyasa delivered it in the shape of Shri Bhaga- 

1 This is true if the disciple is a follower of this path 
of Love from the beginning. But if he adopts it after abandon- 
iDg any other ( wrong ) path he will not be able to reach the 
goal without much time and trouble because he has to uulearn 
everything that he has already learnt (Anayasen aish^ Tava 
charana dasyen karuniy^ / gati shreshtha Tuzja Tujachi 
bhajati je nara tayan // Tyajuni je anya maga sharana yeti 
Tnja pari / tayS-nhi tya siddhi shramagana samriddhi bahu 
kari // Brahmastuti), 



247 

vata to his son Shukacharya who taught it in seven days 

to Parikshiti not only for his own salva- 
How has the ^j^^ ^^^ ^j^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^f ^j^^ ^^^jj^ 

Doctrine of Amou- t-, ... , j ,i -r^ ^ i • 

^. ,. , ihe sage Atn granted the gift to his son 

ed to Brahm'^ Dattatraya who gave it to Janardana 

been preservd up Swami and many others among whom 

to the present ^^^ ^hri Narayana Maharaja our Adiguru. 

time ? Janardana Swami conferred the boon on 

Shri Ekanatha of Paithan and Narayana 

Maharaja on Nar^yanabuvS. of Ratnagiri. The last 

named saint bestowed it upon Shri Radh^krishna from 

whom, O Saviour Shri Sadguru Shankara !, Thou didst 

receive the Royal Secret, At Thy bidding, the Eternal 

Truth, hitherto declared in the language of the Gods or in 

one of the Indian languages, is now being communicated 

to all Thy Lovers in the Lingua Franca of the world. For, 

we find in Shri Bhfigavata that those who give up the Love 

from which flows a stream of blessings and take pains for 

the acquisition of mere Knowledge, get 

The reason of nothing but pains that they have under- 

its necessity. ° t. , , , , 

gone and are like those who thresh mere 
husks and do not obtain food-grains as the fruit of their 
labour {Shreyah stutim hhakti mudasyate vibho klishyanti 
ye kevala bodhasiddhaye / teshdmasau kleshalava eva shish" 
yate ndnyatyathd sthulatushdvaghdtindm // Shri Bhdgavata 
X. 14. 4. ). What knowledege of the Vedas did the Vrijas 
possess whose Love of Thee even Brahma envied! What 
Shastras had the elephant Gajendra committed to memory 
which induced Thee O Lord ! to relieve him from the jaws 
of the crocodile? What scholarship enabled the child 
Dhruva to secure the Eternal Seat in the Heavens? What 
progress in Sanskrit was made by the deformed female 
servant Kubja that Thou wert pleased to transform her into 
a fair-looking queen ? It is a well-known fact that the 



248 



illiterate but simple and virtuous wives of the so-called 
sages of Gokula enjoyed by Thy worship the Bliss which 
the husbands missed through vanity. Love, or rather 
intense Love {BhakH)/is indeed s. tremendous power! It- 
alone can achieve such wonders ! O God of Gods ! nothing 
but a loving heart is necessary to attain to Thy Holy Feet. 
For, Thou hast said to Uddhava in Shri Bhagavata XL 12.80. 
that it is only by their affections that the milk-maids,, 
cows, trees, beasts and reptiles and things of lesser in- 
telligence reached Thee and were happy. Now, if one 
were to ask Thee the reason of Thy assuming the nature 
of the Kalpavriksha (wishing-tree), Thy 

y IS reply, would be that if Thou hadst not 
forced to assume , . ^, ., ^^. x 

the Nature of the ^^^^ '^^ ^^y attribute of Dharma or Law 
Kalpavriksha ? which combines the qualities of Justice 
{Samatva) and Mercy {Sadayatvd) would 
have been an impossibility. This idea is expressed in the 
Bible by the words " Ask and it shall be given ". " Giving 
only after being asked*' is Justice ^nd ** Giving exactly 
what is asked" is M^rc3?. Those unfortunate men whO' 
have no faith in Thy attributes ask for nothing from Thee 
and so get nothing indeed ! But why do people who always 
pray for pleasure get pain also, the worst form of which is^ 
death, which they actually abhor ? It is because pleasure 
and pain are but eternal companions^ just as Love of God 
and Freedom are. They go hand in hand. Adam and Eve 
tasted the forbidden fruit and the result was pain and death 
of which they were warned. The Wise Lovers [Jitdni 
Bhaktas ) seek for Love alone and yet they obtain Freedom 
also for which they do not care. Thus, Thou art free from 
the charge of cruelty as well as partiality and art not at all 
responsible for the happiness and misery of the world 

1 Jaisa joda phalacba saadha / taisa sukhaduhkhacha 
bandha / amantrana kelija andha / yeti doghe // Jndneshvari.. 



249 



which are the natural results of the multifarious desires and 
actions ( Kdma karma govd — Ndrd^ana Mahdrdja ) of the 
Individual Souls, Thou givest us what we ask for, by means 
of our thoughts, words and actions, O Just and Merci- 
ful Father !, therefore, be graciously pleased to accept this 
fruit of Thy Own Grace as an offering to Thy Holy Feet 
and to shower^ Thy full blessings on the 
Dedi c a b i D students of this Doctrine of Amourism and 
and request. give them Thy True Faith, Perfect Know- 

ledge and Supreme Love in this life so as 
to enable them, after the death of their physical bodies, 
to enjoy Thy Eternal Companionship and Bliss in Thy 
Supreme Abode, the AnMi Vaikuntha. 



^Tc^TcW, W«22T5^, q^c^^i I 



1 J&nela kalpavrikshapanen / ani magela tyasi kaya unen / 
bhakta shreshtha ya gunen / kin janona bhakti tyachicha tya- 
ten inagati // Yathdrthadipikd, 

Ye yatha Mam prapadyante tamstathaiva bhajamya- 
hB,m/B. G. IV. 11. 

2 Just as Vyasa has told in one-half verse what has been 
taught in thousands of volumes^ viz., " Brahman is true, the 
world is false, the Individual Soul is Brahman and nothing: 
else", so also the means of realizing the Eternal Truth taught 
in thousands of volumes may be told in one-half verse, vi:.., **only 
hear the Truth, Falsehood and Unity from the lips of the Pre- 
ceptor with Love." 



INDEX 

( Sucht ). 



Action (Xarma), definition of — ; three 
kinds of — (1) Prdrahdha, which is 
so much of past actions as has given 
rise to the present birth, (2) San- 
chita, the balance of past actions 
that will give rise to future births, 
and (3) Kriyamana, acts being done 
in the present life; disinterested 
(^MshTidma) — alone fructifies in this 
life and when offered to the Per- 
sonal God as sacrifice (Ishvardr' 
2)cma) secures knowledge (Jndna ) 
and freedom {Muldi), doer of— 49, 
51, 77, 81, 82, 171-175, 190. 
Amourism {Premdmrita) or the only 
path leading to God {Bhagaxata 
Dharma)', culmination of Vedan- 
tism; four stages of— (1) True 
Faith ( Sachchhraddhd ), consists 
in (a) Renunciation {Sannydsa)^ 
(1)) Abstention {Tydga) and (<?) 
Prayer {Iskva7'd7'dd/iuna) which is 
regarded as the Pillar of Religion 
in the Koran, (2) Perfect Resigna- 
tion (Sam/prapatti) or constant re- 
membrance that all is the Self or 
God (3Iadyogamdshritah), (3) Uni- 
versal Charity (Sadhkaldi) or the 
Blemishless Love (Aiianya Bhahii) 
of the Wise Lovers (Jndni Bhalttas) 
and (4) Infinite Grace (Sairqmshtl) 
or entrance into the Supreme Abode 
of God (A^iddi Vailiuntha)', their 
representatives in India, the four 
great Acharyas and in Mahara- 
shtra, the four great saints, 20, 31, 
34-67, 75, 76, 88, 110, 149, 150, 153, 
154, 181, 182, 193, 233-249. 
Analogy ( Drishtdnta ), value of— in 

philosophy, 20, 105. 
J^odj {Deha), (1) Gross {St hula], in- 
cluding the five principal elements 
(Mahibhutas) and the five sense- 
objects ( Vishaya\ (2) Subtle (Siih' 



shma or Ling a), including the five 
life-breaths (Prdnas)^ the ten sen- 
ses {Indriyas) and the four inter- 
nal organs, xiz: Mind (Manas)^ 
Reason (Biiddhi), Conscience ( Chit, 
ta). and Egoism {A/fanhdra), (3) 
Causal (Kdrcma) and (4) Great 
Causal {Mahd Kdrana\ 45-46, 
103, 238. 
Charity ( used for Bhaldi or Love in 
the B%hle\ Universal Charity 
(Sadhhahti)^ the Love of the Wise 
Lover {Jndni Bhahta) in Amourism, 
61, 142, 149, 192, 242. 
Consciousness (^ra^/^/^ a),- (1) Waking 
{Jdgrita), (2) Dreaming {Scajma , 
(3) Deep Sleep (SusMqM) and (4) 
Divine (Twiyd), 184. 
Dispassion ( Vairdgya ), importance 
of— ,167-171. 

Divine Power (Yogamaishvaram)y 

meaning of — ,191. 
Duties (JDliarma), (1) Necessary 

{Avafihyalia) and (2) Optional 
{Sakdma); Necessary duties are:- 

(1 ) Religious ( Valdika) , (2) Social 
or Relative (Lauhiha ) and (3) 
Personal or Natural {Svdhhdvika); 
Religious duties are: — (1) Daily 
{Nitya) and (2) Periodical {A'aimit- 
tika); the Social are the cardinal 
virtues of (1 ) Justice {Sa)ffatra) and 

(2) Benevolence (Sadayatra) and 
the Personal are summed up in 
Temperance, 78-81. 

Elements (^Tatfras), twenty-four, 
Vide Body. 

Emanation ( Vihhuti), knowledge 
of—; the first—, 187. 

Emotion ( Basa ). ( 1 ) Scrvantino 
{Bdsya), (2) Friendly {SaliJnja\ 
(3) Paternal {Vdtsalya) and (4) 
Conjugal {Madhurya) 22, 65, 82- 
84, 122, 149, 193-194, 244. 



252 



Faith (Shvaddha), Tme Faith (Sa- 
chchhraddha)^ regarded as instru- 
ment of knowledge by all religions, 
75,76,88, 181-182,284. 
Freedom {Molisha or 3IiiJdi), Sd- 
ruj^ya^ Sdniipya and Sdlokya con- 
sist m assuming the form of, living 
in proximity with and residing in 
the heaven of the particular Deity 
%vhom one worships; Sdynjya or 
Nirguna MvMl is the merging of 
the Nirgunopasakas in the Imper- 
sonal Brahma. All these four 
kinds combine in the Saguna 
MuMi enjoyed by Bhaktas (the 
worshippers of the Personal God) 
in the Supreme Abode of G od called 
the An4di Vaikuntha by the Hin- 
dus, the Kingdom of Heaven by the 
Christians and the Garoneman by 
the Zoroastrians, 216-233. 
'Goal (Gati)^ (1) Transmigration {Pu- 
narjanma) to {a) Lower Regions or 
'ReW {Adharloka or JVaraka), {b) 
Middle Regions or the Earth 
(Ihalolm or Prithvi) and (c) Higher 
jkegions or Heavens (Urdhvaloha 
or Svxrga ) and (2) Emancipation 
< Mukti ) which is either (a) Im- 
personal {Nirgu7ia) oy (h) Personal 
{Saguna); both are supported by 
■quotations from all the four great 

Acharyas as well as from Babu 
Aurobindo G hose's ^Essays on the 
GitcC and Babu Bipin Chandra 
Pal's '■Soul of India,^ The latter, 
riz., Sag mm or Sdlkarmya MuMi 
is the Supreme Goal of Human 
Life; Deussen's and Mrs. Besant's 
refutation of the theories of 
''Annihilation' and ^Eternal Retri- 
bution', 55, lU, 199, 224-229, 233, 
243. 

God or God of Gods ( Ishrara or 
Brahma)^ Impersonal {Nirgnna) — , 
Personal {Sagyna)'-^'Lo\'fQV or other 
Gods {Anyadevatd); full descrip- 
tion of all given by Swami Vive- 
kananda, 3i>, 55, 70-74, 157. 

God-man or Wise Lover ( Jndni 
BhaMa), description of his powers 
when alive and after death, 8-11, 



22, 161, 165, 224-225, 231-233, 

242-243. 
Golden Rule ( Paropakdra punydya 

pdpdya jyarapidanain), the essence 

of all the so called virtues, 62-63, 

80, 186. 
Ignorance ( Ajnanam or Amdyd ), 

(1 ) Ignorance of Brahma {AcaruTia) 
and (2) False appearance of matter 
( Vilishepa)^ the former destroyed 
by Vyatireka Knowledge (Analysis) 
and the latter by Anvaya Know- 
ledge ( Synthesis ), 43. 
Illusion {i/%a), (1) original (Mula), 
(2)"0f the three qualities of Sattva, 
Rajas and Tamas ( Gunxmayi ); 
lucidly described in the quotation 
from the \Soid of I/ucia'' ;csL\ise of — , 
7-9, 53. 
Incarnations {Avatd)'s), Lit. descent, 

236-237; how interpreted, 61. 
Knowledge (Jnanam), object of — ; 
kinds of — (I) — of the Impersonal 
Brahma (Nirgima)^ viz., (a) Analy- 
tic ( Vyatireka) acquired by sepa- 
rating oneself from all the twen- 
ty-four elements, and (h) Synthe- 
tic ( Anvaya) by identifying the 
universe with oneself, the former 
is called ' Knowledge', and the latter 
'Wisdom' in the Bible and (2) — 
of the Personal God {Sagwna), viz.y 
the realization of the universe as 
the Self or the Personal God. Both 
secured by Hearing ( Shrava7ia ), 
Conning (Manana) and Self-con- 
templating ( Mdidhyd^d ) and 
perfected by constant practice 
{Abkydsa) and Dispassion ^ Vaird- 
gya\ 19, 102-108, 120-121, 140- 
142, 172, 184, 188, 191. 
Living-freedom ( jlvanmnUti ), en- 
joyer of — [Jlvanmuhta or Sthtta^ 
prajna)\ his description 143-148. 
Love {BhaJdi), I. Ninefold ( iVa va- 
vidlid),viz.,( 1 )Listening to talks and 
songs about the Lord [S/iraranam), 
(2) Singing of Hi>^ praises (Kirta^ 
7iam)^ (3) Remcimbering His names 
and glories ( Visknolt Sniaranam ), 
(4) Service at His feet [Pdlase- 
rauam), (5) Adoration {Arcfuinam)^ 



253 



'(6) Salutation ( Vaiidanam ), (7) 
Servitude (D&syam), (8) Friendship 
{Sakhyani) and (9) Self-dedication 

\Atmanivedanain ); II. Devotion 
of Love ( Prema Bhaliti ); III, 
Supreme Love ( Para Bhaliti ) and 
IV. Love of a river to the sea 
( Gangd-Sdgara-Sangama BhaMi) ; 
three defects of Love — ( 1 )lnterrup> 
^tion ( Vyavadhdna\ (2) Adultera- 
tion fF?/(3^&/mVt^r«) and (3) Condi- 
4;ion {Nwiitta); Blemishless Love 
.(Ananya BhaMi); . Preaching Love 
of God (Bhahti nirupana)^ a sure 
means of making the reason steady 
and securing entrance into the 
Supreme Abode of God, 35-40, 64- 
65, 72-75, 82-84, 95, 103, 123-126, 
130-132, 148, 162, 191-192, 224- 
233, 242,244. 

^liOver (BhaTita) — (1) Dualist (^Arto\ 
(2) Knowledge-seeker {JijndsuJ; 
Babu Rabindra Nath Tagore's aad 
Mrs. Besant's descriptions of —(3) 
Seeker of perfection (Arthdrthi) 
and (4) Wise Lover {Jndni BhaMa), 
73, 95, 100, 121. 135-137, 158-162, 
166, 170-171, 176-178. 

3^on-lovers ( Ahhahtas ), two classes 
of — (1) Atheists ( JVdstiha) and 
(2) Pluralists {Anyadevatopdsakas), 
68-72. 

^Occultism (Hatha Yoga), quotations 
from Lord Gauranga and Rama- 
krishna Paramahansa and other 
saints showing the evil conse- 
quences of — 198, 215. 

iPath ( Yoga ), definition of yoga; 
kinds of — (I) — of Action {Karma 
YogaX (2) — of Knowledge (Jnd/ia 
Yoga), (3) — of Love {Bhaliti Yoga), 
Babu Aurobindo G hose's descrip- 
tion of all the three Yogas and 
(4)— of Divine Grace (Pmhti Yoga); 

seeker of Yoga state (Arurnlis1m)\ 
enthroned in Yoga (Yogdnidlta); 
fallen from Yoga (YogahhraslUa); 
perfection in Yoga {Yogasiddhi); 
Yoga of eight steps or parts (Afih- 
tdyiga), viz., (1) Yauta or self- 
restraint, (2) Niyania or obser- 



vance, (3) Asana or posture, (4) 
Prdndydma or control of life- 
breaths, (5) Bhydna or meditation^ 
(6) Bhdrand or concentration, (7) 
Pratydhdra or abstraction and (8 
Sarnddhi or absorption; Rising 
from Yoga (Vyutt/idna'); obstacles 
{Pratyavdya) of Yoga are two, 
'dz : (1) Sleep (Lay a) and (2) 
Outer attractions ( Viksliepa), the 
former avoided by moderation in 
food and exercise (Yulitdhdravi- 
hdra) and the latter by abstraction. 
(Pratydhdra ), 85-87, 113, 121, 
151-153, 193, 244. 
Philosophy (Shastras), definition 
of — by Plato; consensus of all great 
ancient and modern philosophers; 
two types of — Rationalistic and 
Empirieistic; six schools of (Shad- 
darshanas), — viz : ( 1 ) Vaishesh ilia 
of Kanad, (2) Nydya of Gautama, 

(3) Purva Mirndmd of Jaimini, 

(4) Sdiikhya of Kapila,( 5) Yoga 
of Patau] ali and (6) Uttara 
Mimdmd of BMarayana or Vyasa; 
their relations shown by Prof. 
Max Muller and S\^ami Vivekii- 
nanda; Pragmatism; Bergsonian 
Phiiosoph}'^; Sufism, 13-26, 55-59, 
218. 

Preceptor (Acharya^ Guru or Sad- 
guru), necessity of — proved by 
the four Vedas, six Shastras and 
eighteen Puranas of the Hindus 
as well as by the saints and pro- 
phets of all the principal religions 
of the world, qualifications of — 
1, 5, 54, 182-183, 215-246, 249. 

Purification (Ch'itfa Shuddhi), neces- 
sity of —for S(df-realization or Go<l- 
vision;'Bl(^.ssed are tlie pure in heart, 
for they shall see God' ( Hlble);ii\so 
ride quotations from the Gospel of 
Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa 
and Newman's Siirmons;four means, 
of — ( Sdlhawt Cki: iishtaya)^ viz: 
( 1 ) Discriminati »n <>f the eternal 

from the non-eterujd ( Atrndndtnut- 
Vireka J, (2) Indifference to the 
enjoyment of this and other worlds. 



254 



{Ih&imdrajyholahhoga TiraMi)^ f3) 
Acquisition of the six virtues (Sha- 
madam ddi skat) and (-i) Longing 
after liberation ( Mumuhshei ), 
4, 11-18, 98, 103, 234-237, 249. 
Sacrifice ( Yajna or NlsJtliama 
Ish'vaTeirjyajia ), central teaching 
of all religions (Mrs. Besant)\ 
consists in the belief that one 
is not the doer of actions {Aliar- 
tdram) and in having no desire 
except that of the Knowledge 
of the Self {Atmajnana) or the 
Love of God {BhaMi) or Free- 
dom {3Miti]; begets Love (BhaTi- 
ti) and thus secures immortality 
{Mohsha), 76, 81-82, 88-90. 
Salvation, Vide Freedom. 
Self-realization, Vide Knowledge. 
Stages of Mankind, five, ( Bancha- 
xidha Nara ) given by Swami 
Eama Tirtha, 5-7. 
Soul, Individual (Jim), the reflection 
of the Universal— (Z^Aw^r<^), 38,44. 
Symptoms ( BhS,i'a }, eight of a puri- 
fied ( Sdttmha ) heart, riz., (1) 
Motionlessness ( Stamhha J, ( 2 ) 
Sweat (Sveda), (i^) Horripilation 
(Bomdncha^, (4) Change of voice 
(Svarahhawja ), ( 5 ) Shivering 
(Vepathu), (6) Change of com- 
plexion (Vairarnya), (7) Tears 
(Ashr%i) and (8) Deathlike trance 
(Bralaya), 98-100. 
Time (Aa^^/), Eternal (Alishaya Kdla 
or Impersonal Brahma ), and Non- 
eternal (/SV"/.5'Af'i,/S'i( A /^i and Sankiira 
Kkla or time of the origin, exist- 
ence and destruction of the uni- 
verse), 43, 124. 



Will (Ddnat) identified with consci- 
ence ( Chitta or Sadasadvirehashak- 
ti) and distinguished from desire 
(Kdma^nd) by Mrs. Besant; Free- 
will Determinism ( BrdraMha 
Yoga), which consists in believing 
that our actions and enjoymerts are 
not in our control but our Will, for 
which we are responsible, is, may 
be regarded as true philosophy 
from the quotations given. 47-51, 
179-180. 
Wishing- tree ( Kaljjarrilisha ); the 
idea is expressed in the Bible 
in the words. ' Ask and it shall be 
given.' 50, 248. 
Wisdom (Anvaya or Synthetic Know- 
ledge); Greater or Supreme Wisdom 
is Saguna Jndna or Knowledge 
of the Personal God. 102^06. 
Worship ( JJ'jjamnd ), of the Precep- 
tor ( Achdryo2)dsand ) is the 
easiest means for securing perfec- 
tion and freedom as well as the 
necessary knowledge of the Shas- 
tras; — of the Impersonal Brahma 
{ Kirgunojjdsand ) with difficulty 
secures perfection and Sdyvjyatd or 
Mrgwia 3IvMl only; — of Personal 
God ( Sagimojjdsand or BhaMi ) 
eaHily secures perfection and 
Sddha'>nnyatd or Saguna MuMi 
also; — of other Gods ( Anyadevato- 
2)dsand) secures earthly and hea- 
venly pleasures but not freedom 
of any kind; Thakur Haranath's 
advice about the, worship of the 
family Gods ( Xuladeratd), 70-72, 
79, 111, 115, 139, 155-158. 



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